Lion Galaxy Drama
by Darien Fawkes
Summary: Recently crowned Queen Viera of the Lion Galaxy is deposed and flees to Earth to seek asylum from those who overthrew her. What does her unexpected return mean for the Rangers?
1. Chapter 1

**Legal:** I do not own Power Rangers or the associated names, places, characters, events etc. Anything not covered by these rights should be considered purely the creation of the author.

 **Rating:** T – There will be some adult themes, including violence, language and adult themes.

 **A/N:** Follows on directly from "Royal War".

The coronation in the Lion Galaxy was always a huge affair. With so many warring factions, with so many noble families, warlords, ambitious generals and upstart malcontents all vying for a larger piece of the Galaxy, any period of time where the Lion Galaxy did not have a sitting monarch was always a particularly fraught time.

The title of Monarch in and of itself was also somewhat subjective. The people of the Lion Galaxy didn't follow or worship a monarch out of some reverence of bloodline, and in truth the main duty of a monarch was not to rule per se, but to exert enough power and dread over the countless warring factions to prevent the Lion Galaxy completely collapsing in on itself and descending into complete chaos.

Due to the warlike nature and emphasis on the only rights being those that someone had the strength to fight for and maintain, the title of Ruler of the Lion Galaxy had rarely sat with any family for more than a couple of decades. Reigns that were measured in days were not unknown, and on more than one occasion a monarch had even been assassinated at their own coronation. That Viera's father had ruled the Galaxy for over forty years was itself a testament to his intellect, cunning, aggression, strength, and complete lack of pity or compassion. Many rejoiced when he met a messy end on intergalactic television at Galvanax's hands. Those that had suffered rejoiced to see an end to his rule, while many others saw an opportunity to wrest the throne for themselves.

Princess Viera stood in her chambers, observing herself in the mirror as she prepared for her ascension ceremony. She had delayed it many times, mainly because she had heard so many whispers that there were many that saw her as a pale imitation and a poor replacement for her father. Not only was she young, but she had little in the way of proven military success. She had never lead a great army, she had never crushed a rebellion, she had barely been in battle much at all. As such, many believed she had been coddled and sheltered and would never be able to lead, much less fend off a coup.

She stared at herself in the mirror, wearing armour that was not designed for her, and was much too large, and could see where they might get that idea. She had spent the time since she had returned to the Lion Galaxy in meetings with advisors and military leaders, which wasn't to be unexpected from someone about to ascend, but in that time, she had already started to discuss some of the new ideas she was bringing with her from Earth. She had long suspected there was something very wrong with the way her father ruled. While she enjoyed the privileges and luxuries that came with her station as the ruling elite, she started to notice not everyone else was treated the same way. While she had all the opportunities to do whatever she wanted, she would see some families dressed in rags, or barely able to feed themselves. She would see some being excluded from jobs or thrown from their homes because they didn't come from the right place or they worshipped the wrong gods. The longer she lived, the more she saw people who needed help being seen as nothing more than something to be stepped over and ignored.

On her short time on Earth she had seen acts of charity that were alien to her and her people. She had seen the true power of compassion when she had witnessed a young boy steal from the Pink Ranger. Instead of punishing the young man, Sarah had instead found out that he did so not out of malice, but out of desperation because he didn't have the means to feed himself and his family. Instead of punishing him, Sarah had helped him when she owed him nothing.

She had taught her advisors of her time on Earth, of seeing for herself the value on helping those less fortunate instead of seeing them as weak victims. She Some of them had reacted with curiosity, raising questions about what value helping the weak had for them. Others stormed out of meetings in disgust, some listened with genuine curiosity, while some…some were willing to listen.

"Your Highness." She heard a voice behind her say. She turned to the door and smiled as she saw a man enter. "You wanted to speak with me?"

"Reynold, you don't ever have to ask permission to speak with me." She said warmly to the older man. Reynold was an old man by the Lion Galaxy's standards. He had served Viera's family since long before she was born. He had served faithfully in her father's armies for as long as he was physically able, before being transferred to the household when he became too old for a front-line position. He had served as a bodyguard and palace aide for as long as Viera could remember, and many years before. He still wore the armour of his regiment and had a long black cloak. He didn't wear a helmet since protocol insisted everyone within the palace had to reveal their face. He had short, white hair and a neatly trimmed beard and moustache. He looked on her with the same fondness that he held for his own children.

"I'm sorry Your Highness, but old habits die hard." He told her. "With Lord Drillion gone, I presume you will be needing a new bodyguard. I presume you wished to ask me for recommendations."

"Well, that is a concern, but it is not what I summoned you for." She told him. "I wished to hear your thoughts on the new policies that I have proposed within my Council Chambers."

"Your Highness, it is not my place." Reynold told her. "I am but a soldier. A somewhat old and broken down one, but a humble…"

"Reynold, I wish to hear your thoughts. You may speak freely." Viera told him. "I insist upon it."

Reynold sighed and leant against the wall.

"Truthfully Your Highness?" He asked. "I…I believe that you have grown to be the greatest hope I have ever had."

"Reynold?" She asked him.

"If I live to my next birthday I will be 84 years old Your Highness." He began. "I have never known a time within my life when we were not at war. It was always my fondest wish that my children and my grandchildren would not live to be able to say the same. After 84 years, I'd have liked to think that someone could have come up with a better idea than trying the same ways that have tried and failed all that time."

"You support me?" She asked him. He just smiled and nodded.

"Always, Your Highness." He told her. "Now, on the matter of your new bodyguard, if I may be so bold, any of my sons would be a fine candidate, but I believe that…"

"Reynold, the appointment of my new bodyguard can wait." She told him. "The matter of the positions on my Council of Advisors is a far more pressing matter. I wish to ask you to sit on my right hand."

"Your Highness, I am honoured, but I am a soldier." He stated. "I would not know…"

"You are one of my oldest and most trusted friends." She interrupted him. "I can think of no one I would trust more."

"Then if you demand it of me…"

"I would never demand anything of you." She responded. "But I would ask you."

"Then I would be honoured Your Highness." He replied, bowing to her. "Are you ready for your coronation?"

"I am now." She answered, standing up straight. "How do I look?"

"Like a Queen I would follow until the end of my days." Reynold answered.

That was a couple of weeks previously. Right now, while Viera was in safe surroundings, they were far less luxurious. The Ranger Base, while a place where she knew she had friends, was nothing like her palace. Right now, she was lying on a bench, while Redbot worked slowly and carefully with his laser to cut the shackles off her wrists and her ankles.

"I don't get it. Viera can shape-shift like you, right Mick?" Levi asked. "So why doesn't she just change form and let the shackles fall off?"

"That collar around her neck is made from a metal called Leonus." Mick explained. "They weld them around the necks of political prisoners in my Galaxy. It prevents my kind from changing form."

"Weld them?" Hayley asked, looking at Viera. She noticed a nasty looking burn mark on the back of her neck. "Can we get it off?"

"Leonus is an exceptionally tough metal. Cutting it really isn't easy." Mick told them. "And with it being on Viera's neck, I'm not sure we can risk it, even with Redbot's steady hands."

"Hey guys, how are things?" Brody asked as he arrived in the Command Centre.

"Well, she's definitely been put through the wringer, but nothing some rest and careful care shouldn't be able to cure." Mick told him. "Did you get the Lion Ship to the Zord Base?"

"Yeah, and not a moment too soon." Brody answered. "I saw a Police Cruiser coming as I got it out of the mountain. They had to see me leave, but I know I lost them before I hid it."

"Have we found out more about what happened?" Brody asked.

"She hasn't said anything." Levi responded. "We've given her a full medical and Redbot's been getting those shackles off her.

"That's the last one." Redbot said as he removed the last shackle. "Unfortunately, I can't remove the collar."

"You can't?" Sarah asked him.

"With it being around her neck, it's too risky." Redbot told them. "The metal's so dense I'd have to use too much power to cut it. One wrong move and I could cause irreparable damage or…worse."

"Viera, what happened?" Brody asked her. They didn't get an answer. Given the state she was in, it wasn't too hard to believe that she was traumatised by whatever had happened on her world. She had only told them that she had been deposed. The nature of her injuries indicated she had been tortured, and since she had been imprisoned it wasn't hard to believe that whoever had ousted her from the throne had imprisoned her. She had only been gone a couple of weeks, but it seemed like her captor had managed to do a lot of harm in that short time. "Alright, let's start off a little easier. Who's that guy?"

He pointed over to a corner, where a corpse lay under a sheet on another work bench. When they had found the Lion Ship after it crashed, another person had come out of it, but he had quickly succumbed to his injuries. Whether it was injuries suffered in the attempt to escape the Lion Galaxy or in the crash wasn't clear, but what was clear was that it was a miracle he had lived as long as he had. It seemed his dedication to Viera had been all that was driving him to hold on until she was safe. Only then did he allow himself the luxury of succumbing to his injuries and dying.

Viera didn't say anything, instead heading over to the body. She laid her hands on it. They could see her just looking down, quietly sobbing.

"Viera, what happened?" Brody asked her again. Sarah put her hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe…maybe for now we just need to back off." Sarah told him.

"There's not much we can do to help her if she won't tell us what happened." Preston told her.

"And there's not exactly much we can do to MAKE her tell us what happened." Sarah reminded them. "By the looks of her, I'd say the last thing she needs is someone trying to pressure her into doing anything she doesn't want to do."

"Viera, you can stay here for as long as you need." Mick assured her. "I'll go talk to Jennifer, let her know she has another guest at her school."

"I'll get some clothes for her." Sarah added. "Viera, take all the time you need. We'll be here whenever you feel ready to talk."

Viera didn't answer though, instead she just continued to stare at her fallen comrade.

In the Lion Galaxy, back on her coronation day, Viera was quietly preparing herself to face the crowds. The ascension of a new ruler in the Lion Galaxy was always a well-attended affair. Everyone came to see who now had such prominent sway over their lives. Whether it was the peasants who wanted to see if they were facing another ruler that would trample them all underfoot, or one that would at very least treat them with passing disinterest, while others with more ambition came to see if the new ruler was one they had to fear or if a new and inexperienced ruler would provide them the opportunity to claim power for themselves.

Princess Viera knew she was going to be facing a divided crowd before she even went out. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up, seeing Reynold standing next to her. He was wearing far more ornate armour now, serving as her Right Hand on her Council.

"Are you nervous?" He asked her.

"I don't think I've been this nervous about anything in my life." She told him. "Some ruler I'm likely to be."

"Personally, I think it makes you the best kind of ruler." He told her. "When one is going to be making decisions that affect so many people, frankly I would be afraid if they didn't have second thoughts."

"They seem restless, I promised them I would destroy the Power Rangers." She reminded him. "Instead, not only do I leave without a fight, I actively helped destroy Lord Drillion."

"No one said this was meant to be easy." He replied sagely.

"There are a lot of people out there that want to see me fall." She answered.

"That's what my sons and I are for." He assured her. "You are the best hope for our Galaxy. Of that I am certain."

"Well, here goes nothing." She said, taking a deep breath, before heading out into the palace's main throne room. She strode along the aisle, with citizens from all around the galaxy filling the entire room. The most powerful and prominent, a polite way of saying those who could likely force their way in if they weren't invited, were in the main throne room, with others forced into the palace grounds. Heading for the throne Viera could feel all the eyes on her, along with every emotion, ranging from hope and admiration, through to murderous contempt.

As she got to the throne, she picked up the crown, which had been left on the throne. Unlike many other coronations, in the Lion Galaxy, no one handed the monarch the crown or placed the crown upon their head. The only people fit to wear the crown were those with the strength to take it themselves. Picking up the crown, which had been worn by some of the most bloodthirsty and ruthless despots in existence, she placed it upon her head, feeling the weight of the gold and jewels. She strained her neck to keep her head upright and straight despite the weight, which felt like it was crushing her. She turned to face her new subjects, taking on a strong stance to keep herself from showing the pain she felt just wearing the crown. *

"I stand before you today, seizing my destiny, and claiming the power of the throne!" She began. "I stand before you, Queen Viera, Fifth of my name, ruler of the Lion Galaxy! Let all within my domain know that I now stand for you all against any foe, foreign or internal!"

There were murmurs from the crowd as she stood before them. So far, so good. It was usually considered a good sign if someone didn't try to assassinate the new monarch within moments of them taking their vows. It would not be the first time a new King or Queen had literally snatched the crown from the head of their predecessor, still slick with their blood.

"As new ruler, I wish to institute some changes to the Lion Galaxy. For far too long we have lost our fathers and mothers, our brothers and sisters, our loved ones and friends to pointless bloodshed." She continued on. "We have all been brought up on a mantra that might makes right! For far too long we have lost those we love to petty squabbles that could be resolved with a little patience and compassion."

She definitely heard a rumbling when she said that. To some, the word compassion was tantamount to an unacceptable curse word. She could see more than a few people unsettled in their seats. Others were already beginning to openly jeer. She swallowed hard.

"We believe that aggression and violence are the things that bring us respect, but they only bring us shame!" She declared. "I have been outside our galaxy, and far from strong, they see us as unenlightened thugs! They see us as backwards and brutish! I say no more! I say it is time we tried something new!"

She looked across to Reynold.

"I have been alive but 17 short years, and in all that time there has not been one day of my life where we were not at war." She told them, paraphrasing her old friend. "Perhaps it is time to try something new. I have learned of the strength and power of compassion and reason. Let us go forth from this place at this time and…"

"She speaks of weakness! She wants to turn us into a galaxy of weaklings!" Someone screamed.

"I wish only to…"

"She means to see us weaken ourselves to secure her own throne!" Another yelled.

"DEATH TO THE QUEEN!" Another roared as he drew a weapon. Reynold was quicker off the mark, firing his rifle and taking down the would-be assassin before he could get off a single shot. Reynold gestured forward the Royal Guard and stood before Viera.

"My Queen, you should leave this place!" Reynold beckoned her, backing away from the crowd as the guards rushed to confront those rushing the throne. "We must go, NOW!"

Princess Viera was escorted out of the rear of the Throne Room as her guards worked to keep her attackers from her. She had always known that asking a civilisation to fundamentally change a way of life they had lived for millennia was going to be met with fear, anger and even violence. She was only just beginning to understand just how much.

 **A/N:** The passage marked with a * is based on a comment made by Queen Elizabeth II of England, the current sitting monarch. The crown is apparently so heavy it actually causes severe pain when its worn, which is why she pretty much never wears it. Considering the fact, the whole thing is solid gold it's not really such a surprise, but I thought it was a great comment to add, and a perfect metaphor for the weight of responsibility the crown represents.


	2. True Love True Loyalty

Summer Cove Police Station, somewhere in the offices, Constable Trevor Reed and Constable Spike Skullovitch were writing up reports. They had been attending a relatively straightforward and as it turned out quite pointless call about an unlicensed street party when they had seen the Lion Ship flying overhead on its fated flight. They hadn't known at the time what it was, but when a gigantic ball of flame flew overhead, low enough that it had set off car alarms and rattled windows in the street, it was their duty to at very least see what it was.

Spike stared at his half-page, rapidly tapping the end of his pen on the page, trying to think what to write. He had excelled in the Police Academy, and while he knew writing reports was a part of the job and accepted that, he honestly had no idea what if anything he was supposed to be writing. He looked over to Trevor as he tore off his eighth page, putting it aside and continuing to write.

"What are you writing?" Spike asked him.

"I'm writing down what I saw and what happened." Trevor told him. "You should do the same."

"That's just it Trevor, how exactly do we write up what happened when we have no idea what happened?" Spike asked him.

"We just write what we do know and what we saw and heard." Trevor said matter-of-factly. "I thought they covered this stuff with you at the academy. According to your file you excelled at procedure."

"I did it's just…what EXACTLY do we say?" Spike asked him. "And how the hell does it take you eight…wait…is that NINE pages?"

"I just believe in being thorough." Trevor sighed.

"You're seriously writing while we're talking?" Spike asked him. "Also, how the hell do you get nine pages out of what we saw?"

"Details Skullovitch." Trevor stated. "They're important."

"WHAT details?" Spike asked him. "We saw a massive fireball in the sky, we followed its path, then we found tracks in the ground and a crater in a mountain…and oh, we arrived in time to see something flying away."

"Details Skullovitch, DETAILS! EVERYTHING!" Trevor snapped at him. "You never know what's going to be important!"

"But this is all pointless! There was nothing there!" Skullovitch told him.

"Even if you have nothing to say you write a report that says you have nothing to say!" Trevor told him. "Because if you don't, then that only leads to questions later about what you saw, what you heard, things you said, things you know. If it's in the report, then you have something to fall back on. If you don't then people can start making inferences into what you really do know."

"But that's just it, we don't know anything!" Spike reiterated.

"We know that an object fell from the sky, and we know it's not there now." Trevor reminded him. "We also saw it flying away, which suggests that someone flew it and that it's not a meteorite. Those things alone mean we know something."

"Space ships?" Spike asked, shaking his head. "Man, I miss Panorama City. There the bad guys quite literally crawled out of the cracks."

Just then, the door burst open. The Captain came in, along with two men in suits and a woman in a suit.

"Reed, Skullovitch, are these your reports?" The Captain asked.

"Yes." Trevor answered. "Who are the suits?"

"We're from NASADA." The woman told him, putting down a form. "I'm going to need you both to sign this."

"What is this?" Spike asked her.

"By order of the Federal Government both of you are subject to classified information." She informed them. "If either of you discuss what you saw today with anyone, and I do mean ANYONE, you will spend the best years of your lives in solitary confinement."

"You know what you were saying about this being pointless?" Trevor asked him, gathering up his report and handing it to her, before signing the document. "Now it really was."

Spike was utterly confused, but after signing the document and handing over the report, he followed Trevor out of the room. He had to quicken his pace to catch up to him.

"What the hell was…?"

"Skullovitch, what part of 'non-disclosure' do you not understand?" Trevor asked him.

"But…this is…"

"Listen Skullovitch, I don't like it any more than you do, but since all this shit started going down in this city, stuff like this has been happening more and more." Trevor told him bluntly. "I've seen people I know, GOOD people, having their lives ruined. People who have served this city for decades drummed out of the job because they saw something or said the wrong thing, and ninety-nine times out of a hundred it had something to do with aliens or those people running around in the brightly coloured suits."

"Wait, you're blaming the Rangers for…?"

"What I'm saying Skullovitch is that in the last year I've seen more records redacted or shredded than I have in the rest of my years on the force!" Trevor told him. "So, if you plan on keeping that badge, you need to learn that when someone tells you it's time to shut your mouth and walk away, you shut your mouth and walk away!"

He straightened himself out and shook his head.

"Now, how about we take a little sweep of the streets near the grocery store?" He asked him. "Claire has Hayley for a while. I'd like to get some of that cereal she likes."

Back at the Ranger Base, things weren't any more enlightening as time went on. Mick had gone to explain Viera's return to Principal Hastings so that she would know there was someone else in the school. Quite what the long-term plan was no one had really figured out yet. While on her previous visit she had attended the school under the pretence of being Sarah's cousin, no one really knew if she'd be up to going anywhere or doing much of anything. She had still barely said a word since they had found her in the Lion Ship.

"She's been over there a while." Sarah commented, looking to Viera who was still standing over the corpse of the man who came with her. He had died of numerous injuries only moments after the Rangers found them. In his final act, he had ensured that she had reached the safety of Earth, and that she had been discovered by those she could trust. It was clear from his uniform he had served her household, but exactly who he was none of them knew. Since Viera hadn't said anything, none of them even knew the man's name. Viera seemed distraught, and had just stood over the body, her hands resting on it gently for hours. "Do you think he was…special to her? Like…maybe more than just a guard?"

"His uniform placed him as one of the Palace Guards." Redbot informed them. "But he must have been very devoted to her. His injuries were mortal, but he managed to hold on much longer than he should have."

"What's she saying?" Calvin asked Hayley as he noticed she was whispering something. Hayley's exposure to the Ninja Steel had left her with a natural affinity for language. She only needed to hear the language being spoken for a few minutes before her brain started to make the connections and form up the framework of the language. It was still quite trippy to her now that she had actual conversations with her dog Kody. She watched Viera carefully.

"She's reciting funeral rites." She told him. "She's also thanking him for his service and his protection."

"So, he was a guard." Calvin replied. "Then I guess he did his job."

"Yeah." Brody agreed. "And he paid the ultimate price doing it. Whoever he was, that kind of devotion goes way beyond just collecting a pay check."

Back in the Lion Galaxy, a couple of weeks earlier, the capital lay in ruins, and the palace was all but falling down following the uprising. By now, news of Viera's proclamation on her vision for the future of the Lion Galaxy had spread right across her domain. To say that opinion was divided was an understatement.

There were some that supported Viera's new image of the future for her people. Those who were sick of constant war, and of those that simply took what they wanted without regard to who owned what they wanted. Others who were fed up of seeing their loved ones die for stupid causes that were not their own, or in the crossfire of another grudge just by virtue of living in the wrong place.

Unfortunately, in all her optimism, in her thoughts of people thinking of their families and friends and thinking of not seeing them killed or maimed, she had underestimated how many people did not want their lives to change. Many had been fighting their wars for generations and knew literally nothing else, people who would seek out and destroy people of other worlds and exterminate them yet when asked having no idea why other than that was the same enemies their parents fought.

There were those who had fought so long that they truly enjoyed it. Who fought for no other reason than they were so immersed in violence that they only derived pleasure from the suffering of others.

There were those that saw their position in life, their very social standing potentially threatened by the prospect of peace, professional warriors who would find themselves with no place in society and needing to find new paths in life and start all over again from the bottom rung. Generals, officers, people of prestige who would have to start all over again.

Finally, there was the group she had utterly underestimated the sway of…those for who profited from the status quo. Mercenaries, warlords, arms-dealers both legal and illegal. There were many for whom a galaxy in a constant state of war was a gold mine. They cared nothing about who they provided their weapons or skills to, so long as they were paid. Bloodletters who profited from pain saw the prospect of peace as losing that revenue flow. When the uprising began, no one found it difficult to get all the weapons they needed to use against the current Queen. After all, they could always get their payment later.

Viera found her forces quickly overwhelmed and had been forced back into her palace. It was only a matter of time before the last lines of defence fell before her overwhelming enemies. The one that finally took the palace was a man named Tiberius. A powerful man who had his eyes on the throne for many years but had nothing like the support he needed to attempt a coup against her father. He was bald, with a heavily scarred face, giving him the appearance of a bizarre red prune. He only had one eye, the other being lost to battle some time ago, and covered with a metal patch that was riveted directly into his skull. He ascended the throne with a cocky gait as he approached, finding the crown on the ground directly in front of it. As he picked it up, his elite dragged Viera, Reynold and some of her guards into the room. They were all forced to their knees as he turned to face her.

"I wish I hadn't had to cause so much destruction." He taunted her. "But I suppose it will give me ample opportunity to redecorate."

"Please, I beg of you…."

"You're going to beg me for your life?" He laughed. "This is the strength and power of compassion your Queen has been preaching about!"

His men laughed as he approached her, seizing her face and forcing her to look at him.

"Your father had his arms ripped from his body and even then, he still had the courage to die with a little dignity." He continued.

"I wasn't going to beg for my life." She whispered, flicking a glance in the direction of her guards. "I was going to beg for theirs."

"Viera, no…"

"Be SILENT Reynold!" She interrupted him. She knew that Reynold and his sons were among those that had been captured. She did not wish to see them slaughtered. She couldn't bear to know they lost their lives because of her.

"You really think…?"

"You know as well as I do that the Royal Guard swear fealty to the throne, not to the one who sits upon it." She interrupted him. "I know I can expect no mercy from you, and I would not give you the satisfaction of asking for it. But I appeal to your self-interest. Spare these men and they will serve you."

"I suppose I might like to get to keep something from this palace." He replied as he placed the crown on his head. "But you needn't worry, you will not die either. But believe me, you will soon wish you had."

He produced two halves of what she recognised as a Leonus collar from within his cloak. Viera struggled as her captors twisted her arms, forcing her over. Tiberius placed the two halves together around her neck, while another sparked up a torch.

"Long live the king." He declared as she felt the metal heating up. She didn't know what exactly he would do with her, but whatever it was, she was at least grateful that as long as Tiberius kept his word, those she cared about would be spared.

Back in the present day, in the Ranger Base, it was starting to get late. The team wanted to stay with Viera, to hear what happened to her and to ensure she would be alright, but the more time wore on, the more it became clear that they would eventually have to go home. Their parents would start to ask questions eventually.

"You guys should go." Brody told them. "Mick, Redbot and I will be here if she needs anything. Levi, tell Tom I'm sorry I had to cancel."

"It's alright, he'll understand." Levi assured him. "You know where I'll be if you need anything."

"Guys, there's…there's one other matter." Calvin stated. "What do we do about…you know…him?"

He pointed to the body under the blanket.

"I mean…pretty soon we're going to have to do something right?" He asked.

"What do people do in the Lion Galaxy?" Hayley asked Mick. "Do they bury their dead?"

"It varies from place to place, but in general they cremate their dead." Mick told them. "I could arrange that, but first we need to get Viera to leave whoever that is."

"Sel." She finally said.

"Viera?" Sarah asked.

"His name was Sel." She informed them. "He and his family protected my family as long as I've lived. We grew up together. I appointed him as my bodyguard to replace Drillion."

"So, he was the one that got you free?" Sarah asked.

"He and his family did." Viera answered, looking to them with tears in her eyes. "Now, because of me, they're all gone."

Back on her planet, only days before, Viera was in her cell, lying on the floor completely spent. Tiberius hadn't been exaggerating with his promises of his cruelty. He kept her alive as a prisoner, a slave to demonstrate his power. He delighted ensuring every waking moment of her life was spent in agony, torturing her endlessly. He loved to inflict much of the pain himself, but when he had other matters to attend to or he grew weary, he would get one of his men to carry on. She was allowed respite only long enough to eat and to rest and heal enough to ensure she would not perish. Tiberius wanted to enjoy his favourite toy for as long as he could.

Her ankles were both chained to brackets in the walls, while her hands were shackled behind her back. The collar prevented her from shape shifting, making escape impossible. She was wrenched from her slumber as the lock on the door triggered. She used her forehead to push herself up to her knees, looking to the door as a man came in.

"Guess what? It's my turn now." The man taunted her. "Perhaps I can be the one to win the kitty and finally hear you beg for merc…"

His words were cut off as a sword came through his chest. The man sank to his knees, at which she saw Reynold standing behind him. He pulled the sword out.

"Was the word you were looking for 'mercy'?" He asked, before striking the man's head from his shoulders. Three others came into the cell, Sel and his two brothers.

"Reynold, what are you doing?" Viera asked him.

"I believe the technical term would be treason!" He replied, striking the chains off her ankles. Sel helped her to her feet, before Reynold broke the chain securing her wrists together.

"Reynold, I cannot allow you to do this!" She told him. "You were spared because…"

"I was spared by your compassion, the very compassion I believe in with every beat of my heart." He told her. "That is why we must set you free if the Lion Galaxy is ever to know peace."

"You can't risk your lives for me!" She yelled. "I ORDER you to…"

"Well, the one benefit of you not being Queen is you can't really order us to do anything anymore." Sel said with a smile. Reynold seized her face, making her look at him.

"I told you, I believe in your vision more than anything I ever have." Reynold told her. "We must get you out of here."

"I will not leave…"

"You're going if I have to carry you!" Sel interrupted her as an alarm sounded. "The others must have noticed we've abandoned our posts! We have to go!"

"Reynold, you can't do this!" Viera told him.

"Viera, I will likely never know a galaxy without war, but I wish so fondly that future generations may have that I am willing to sacrifice my life for it."

"We all are." Sel told her.

"My entire bloodline is in this room, and it is very likely by the time this day is done it will be no more." Reynold said to her warmly. "Please, my Queen, do not let that be in vain."

"Dad, this is touching and all that, but we've got company!" One of his sons stated, readying his rifle and firing a shot.

"Your Lion Fire Armour is in the Lion Ship along with a chest. It is one of my family's most treasured heirlooms." Reynold told her. "Sel will take you to the ship. GO!"

Viera hugged Reynold, before Sel took her hand and ran with her out the door. Reynold looked to his other two sons.

"My sons, sell yourselves dearly." He stated. "Make every drop of blood count! FOR THE TRUE QUEEN! FOR VIERA!"

"FOR VIERA!" They screamed as they rushed into battle, buying Sel the time they needed to flee to the ship.


	3. Sel's Gift

Preston was in his father's penthouse, getting ready for the day ahead. The team still didn't know how far Mick, Brody or Redbot had gotten with getting Viera to talk about what had happened to her in the Lion Galaxy, but there were still some practical things they needed to deal with. The most pressing of which was the small matter of a dead Royal Guard. While Principal Hastings knew about the team now and was pretty flexible with their comings and goings and helping to conceal their activities, even they suspected storing corpses to be pushing their luck more than a little.

Death was commonplace in the Lion Galaxy given their violent existence, and as such they had a very pragmatic approach to funerals. They tended not to bury their dead, since that took far too long and used too many resources, and so cremation was very much the norm. Mick was confident the furnaces they used to forge the Ninja Steel, with a little creativity and work, would be up to the task of generating the temperatures they would need, the fact was that as it most directly affected Viera they needed to figure out what she would want to happen with the ashes.

Again, in general the inhabitants of the Lion Galaxy were usually very pragmatic about the disposal of remains. Since many died on battlefields many lightyears from home, unless they were a person of particular prominence and influence taking up space on a transport ship was seen as more hassle than it was worth. If the deceased's own side recovered the corpse at all, they would often dump the ashes on the planet they died on and leave. If they couldn't retrieve the body, they would just leave it for the other side to deal with, which they generally did out of respect. After all, none of them knew if it was going to be them that one day died on a foreign world and relying on the locals to treat their remains with respect.

So far, all the Rangers knew of this man was that his name had been Sel and that he had been a Royal Guard. The fact he helped Viera escape showed his devotion to her, but also the fact that strictly speaking he had betrayed an oath he had taken to the sitting monarch. While Viera was obviously important enough to him to lay down his life for in what had to amount to a suicide mission, exactly what he meant to her was still uncertain to them and would remain so until she finally felt ready to talk to them.

He didn't really know what to do to prepare for their day ahead. He had been to a funeral before, his mother's many years earlier, but then he had been a child at the time. He was only ten when his mom passed away of lung cancer. There wasn't much for a ten-year-old to do in the planning of a funeral. Most adults didn't want him involved in anything other than perhaps asking him about songs his mom liked for the play list or places she liked for ideas of where to lay her to rest. While he had been to a funeral, he didn't really know much about what to do arranging one.

It played on his mind a little seeing what Viera so quiet. Although she was much older than he was when his mother died, he saw her so quiet and he could see himself back then. He was told he didn't speak for days around the time of the funeral, and he could believe it. So many people were constantly asking him how he was, how he felt, offering him platitudes of how his mom was in a better place. None of them though seemed to understand how he was feeling, how he just wanted someone to explain to him why his mom had left him and why she couldn't come back.

He was just getting his wallet when his dad came into the Living Room along with his other investors. Preston had seen them around his dad's office and around the apartment a few times, and while he didn't really know or care much who they were, he did get the impression that they were part of something big in his dad's business.

"Preston, you're here." Marcus stated. "I thought you were going out with your friends."

"Yeah, I'm just heading out." Preston told him. "I just needed to grab my wallet."

"Well, we're likely to be here for quite a while and it would be best if we weren't disturbed. I'm sure you and your friends have much more interesting things to do than listen to a bunch of boring old people talking shop anyway." Marcus told him, getting a couple of hundred dollars out of his wallet. "That should be plenty to keep you all occupied for the day."

"Um…alright well…I guess we could go get a meal or something." Preston concluded. "I'm guessing you don't want to see us before dinner time?"

"That would be for the best. Don't worry about me, we'll likely order in." Marcus told him. "Enjoy yourselves."

"We will dad." Preston answered, forcing himself to smile. He couldn't very well explain that he was going to attend a funeral without explaining a number of details, like for instance who was dead! It was best that his dad just thought he and his friends were going to spend the day goofing around together. As Preston got on the elevator, pressing the button for the ground floor, he could only think about his mother.

As he left, Marcus indicated to his investors to make themselves comfortable.

"Well Gentlemen, before we begin, I'll just arrange for some refreshments…"

"You want to sit here sipping coffee and eating sandwiches?" Windsor asked him. "We've just been spanked by a nickel-and-dime business for millions and you want to just sit here and act like nothing has happened?"

"I can merely appreciate when we've been outmanoeuvred by a better opponent." Marcus said, with a hint of admiration in his voice. He had often tried to goad Al back into the investment game, hoping to get the infamous investment whizz working for him, and while he had come to accept that he no longer wanted to be a part of that world, he had watched Al turn some of the wealthiest men in the state into a laughing stock playing them at their own game. He was perfectly certain a younger, and considerably less morally encumbered Al would likely have taken them for considerably more than he already had. Right now, all they had suffered was a slight loss of face and the potential cost of the lawsuits they were already involved in. All things considered, the 'Panorama Chainsaw' had let them off with a warning. "Now, I've invited over some representatives of the unions that are…"

"You invited over the people that are suing us?" Mr Yoshida asked him.

"At this juncture, negotiation seems like the most productive course of action." Marcus interrupted him. "The fact of the matter is that legally these people are in the right and we can't argue that. Like it or not, we must now give them what they are entitled to by contract so I thought it might be worth ensuring we can discuss a fair price for back-pay without the aid of courts."

"You want us to settle?" Mr Popov asked. "You expect us to roll belly-up to a bunch of plumbers and bricklayers and carpenters…"

"MY GRANDFATHER was a carpenter!" Mr Tien snapped in response. "He worked fifteen hours a day fitting shops and homes to see that his children all went to college. It may have taken this for me to be reminded of that."

"Marcus, we all appreciate the people that work on our buildings, but this is going to cost us millions." Mr Windsor tried to reason with him.

"And we will STILL make millions even if we do pay them what they're worth." He answered. "The publicity and delay of a lengthy court case will cost us so much more. Now, I'll arrange those refreshments. We should be expecting our guests shortly."

As Marcus left the room, the others looked around in disgust.

"I can't believe this." Mr Yoshida sneered. "We're being made fools of!"

"What exactly do you propose we do about it?" Mr Popov asked. "Marcus is right, Thompson has played us all for saps!"

"Well, I don't know about you but I want to make sure that the next Al Thompson wannabe who tries to make a name at our expense thinks twice." Mr Russel said as he pulled out his cell phone and dialled.

"What are you going to do? Call your dirt rag and run another hit piece?" Windsor sneered. "That worked so well the last time!"

"Do you really want to know?" Russel asked. "Hello? You don't know me, but believe me, you do NOT want to hang up this phone."

Preston arrived at the Ranger Base, finding the rest of the team had already assembled. As he got in, Sarah came over, hugging him.

"Sorry I'm late." He replied.

"I wouldn't say you're late, there's not really a timetable for this kind of thing." Brody replied. He flicked his eyes in the direction of a paint can.

"Is that…?"

"It's the best I could come up with at short notice." Mick told him. "Redbot and I managed to um…we uh…yeah, that's Sel."

"How is she?" Preston asked in response, indicating to Viera.

"Much the same." Levi answered. "I guess its no surprise given all he did for her."

"Viera?" Hayley asked her. "Viera, we're all here now. We should get this done."

Viera just nodded as she heard this. Calvin picked up the can, at which the team all started to file out of the base.

Days ago, Viera was in the Lion Ship as it continued on its flight from the Lion Galaxy. Sel had engaged the autopilot once they left the reaches of the Lion Galaxy and set a course for Earth. For almost two days straight he had sat at the helm in case of an attack.

She found him in one of the rooms, having removed his armour. He was helping himself to some painkillers from the ship's stocks.

"I apologise Your Highness." He said as he saw her. Viera just looked curiously at him. He gestured to her rags. "I should have thought to bring something more fitting for you to wear, but…well…the opportunity did not present itself often."

"I'm fine Sel." She told him, taking the painkillers from him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Your Highness." He told her.

"Sel, I saw you get shot." She replied. He just smiled.

"It would not be the first time." He assured her. "Are your quarters to your liking?"

"They are considerably more comfortable than my previous accommodations." She stated. She heard a sound from the corner and saw a monitor was on. It was a news network from the Lion Galaxy. She could tell what he was probably looking for.

"Sel, is there any word?" She asked him. He just sighed.

"They're reporting that two were killed in the firefight." He informed her. "The last traitor was executed in the throne room."

"Sel…I'm so sorry." She sighed. Three, three traitors were accounted for. That meant Reynold and his other two sons were all dead. Sel looked to her.

"You have nothing to apologise for." Sel told her. "They all knew what they signed up for, as did I."

"This would never have happened if I had just kept my ideas to myself." She sniffed as she looked to the man who had just revealed his entire family had paid the price for her freedom. "I should never have come back! I should have…"

"My Queen, NOTHING worth having comes easily." He assured her. "Not to mention many others will too once we get you back on the throne where you belong."

"I just wish…I just…I shall miss them." She told him.

"It is quite alright Your Highness. I know I will see them again." He assured her. "Now, is there something I can get you?"

"No." She answered. "But I shall prepare you something to eat. I feel it is the least I can do."

"You can cook?" He teased her.

"I…may have learned of an Earth delicacy from a young man I met there." She told him. "It's something called a sandwich."

"Then I look forward to finding out what a sandwich is." He answered. "I look forward to it."

As Viera went off to the Galley, Sel steadied himself on the work bench. His hand strayed under his shirt, and he removed it, finding it was covered in blood. He looked once more to the door.

"I will see my family again Your Highness." He assured her. "I just hope I get you to Earth first."

In Summer Cove park, Trevor and Spike were taking the time to swing through and keep an eye on the park. Not only was it a nice day and mean that the park was a good place to take their break, they also knew that it was likely that a lot of people would be spending their time there.

It wasn't the worst assignment in the world, far from it. Spike had learned in his short time on the job that Trevor very heavily believed in community policing. That was to say, it was more likely he would buy a lemonade from a kid's stall or play a round of basketball with some of the guys in his old neighbourhood than he was to start ticketing people for illegal parking. Spike liked that about him, Trevor seemed to be a genuinely good guy who really got into the job because he wanted to make a positive change in the world by working with communities instead of seeing them as potential criminals. By getting people used to seeing police officers around and having positive experiences with them, people were a lot more likely to come forward and talk to them whenever something about the area was troubling them.

On only his first day on the job, Spike had spent the morning with Trevor playing basketball in a neighbourhood court with some locals. It didn't take long for Spike to learn that Trevor had at one time or another arrested every single one of them in the past, but that he encouraged them to get into community programs to find positive things to do with their day and liked to swing by every now and then to catch up with them.

After spending a while playing softball with some kids and helping some people get their inflatable raft ready for the lake, they were taking a break themselves. Trevor was relaxing in the shade of a tree, watching as Spike, complete with a bokken, which Spike had somehow slipped into the trunk of their cruiser without Trevor noticing, was working his way through some kata. He watched on, more than a little intrigued. He had read Spike's file and knew he excelled in his classes at the police academy, and he only had to look at the kid to tell that he worked out like a demon, but even this was a surprise.

"What is that?" He asked him.

"It's kind of a blend." Spike informed him, while continuing with his workout, his concentration never slipping from his technique. "Kendo, Iaido, Karate…"

"That definitely doesn't look like Academy training." Trevor commented.

"I was a teenager in Panorama. Everyone was obsessed with the Samurai." Spike told him. "My Uncle Bulk tried to teach me for a while. After a few months and some trips to the Emergency Room, we eventually got pointers from someone who knew what she was doing. Serena was more than just a Kendo teacher, she was…um…kind of like a Samurai herself. I've been keeping it up ever since."

"You ever used any of it?" He asked.

"Once or twice." Spike replied, returning to his starting position and bowing to his imaginary opponent. "It's come in handy once or twice."

"Even against people with guns?" Trevor asked. Spike just sighed.

"I hope not to find out too quickly." Spike answered. "But you've seen my marksmanship scores. I just prefer to keep the gun in my holster. Suspects are easier to question if they're not dead in my experience."

"Good answer rookie." Trevor answered with a smile. "This gun hasn't been out of its holster in six months, and I very much hope to extend that record."

"Say, what do you think's going on over there?" Spike asked, pointing to a spot a little way off. "A nice day like today, but those kids don't look like they're enjoying it much."

"I suppose it couldn't hurt to ask." Trevor answered. They headed over, finding the group gathered around near some trees. As they approached, one of them turned around.

"Oh…uh…hello." Mick said as they approached. "Can I help you officers?"

"We were just going to ask you the same thing." Trevor asked him. Spike noticed Mick carrying a paint can.

"What's in the can?" He asked.

"Uh…well…um…"

"Trevor?" Hayley asked as she came across. Trevor smiled as he saw his step-daughter.

"Hayley, I'm…I'm sorry, I didn't notice you there." He said, hugging her tightly. "Skullovitch, this is my stepdaughter Hayley!"

"Oh, hi! Trevor's told me a lot about you!" Spike answered.

"So, what is all this?" Trevor asked her. Hayley just looked to Mick, trying to think of something to say. She cleared her throat.

"Um…well…you see that girl over there?" She asked, pointing to Viera, who Sarah was comforting, while trying to coax her into talking some more. "That's Sarah's cousin."

"Alright?" Trevor replied.

"That can…her…her…uh…dog! Sel is in there." She told them.

"Her dog?" Spike asked. "What is he a teacup poodle?"

"Really?" Trevor asked. Spike took a moment, between seeing the girl looking upset and what Hayley said to put two and two together. Hayley just let him without saying anything, hoping he'd come up with five and believe the story she told him. "Oh…OH! Gosh, I'm sorry!"

"He really liked open spaces." Mick told them. "We were hoping to scatter him here."

Trevor looked around them, seeing the scene before him. He knew how much Hayley loved her own dog, Kody and could only imagine what state she would be in if it was him.

"Strictly speaking you need a permit." Trevor told them. "But…I guess since it's not really polluting, there's no harm done. I suppose we could look the other way."

"Tell your friend we're sorry for her loss." Spike added. With that, they turned and left. Hayley went back to the group.

"What was that about?" Sarah asked her.

"Just my step-dad breaking in a new partner by the looks of things." She answered. "Alright, so…are we doing this?"

Mick took the top off the paint can.

"Viera, would you like to say a few words?" He asked her. Viera shook her head.

"I already said his funeral rites." She answered. Sarah put a hand on her shoulder.

"Then how about say something for him?" She asked. Viera took the can in her hands, with tears in her eyes and kissed it.

"It won't be for nothing." She whispered, before scattering the ashes to the wind. "I promise."


	4. Viera's Promise

Up on the Warrior Dome, Wrench was in surroundings that were somewhat less comfortable than he had ever intended to find himself in, the training rooms. However, for once, he wasn't just observing. This time round, he was actually training for battle.

Wrench, in general, had loved his new employer. Sledge as an employer was gruff, aggressive, and his idea of providing adequate equipment was just to scream at him that his ship had operated for millions of years without any problems so why did he need to buy anything now? Sledge was a hyper-capitalist when all was said and done. He always charged for his services, whether it was gathering asteroids, selling scrap acquired from his victims, or selling bounties to the highest bidder regardless of who they put a bounty on or why they had offered the bounty in the first place. For over 65 million years he had delayed his engagement to Poisandra despite his love for her, always insisting he needed just 'one more big score'. When he finally did marry her, it had been on his ship! He was all about accruing money but hardly anyone could ever remember him spending anything. It would have been a running joke if everyone wasn't so afraid of him. No one really knew what he was gathering all that money for since he never seemed to spend it, but he definitely didn't invest it back into his crew.

Cosmo wasn't exactly wasteful, but he definitely didn't mind investing in his product. He had seen Cosmo writing cheques that constituted the entire economy of whole star systems without even blinking. His promotion and advertising budget was truly eye-watering, his merchandise budget would all but end poverty in several galaxies overnight. Sure, he would cut back on some things like wages. His crew was still made up almost exclusively of robots or 'interns' he had either bought or abducted from other worlds, but when someone could benefit him, his executives, trainers, fighters, he was never shy about opening his wallet.

Wrench was one of the fortunate ones. Although he had signed on as an intern when he abandoned Sledge's crew, seeing the writing on the wall for the bounty hunter, he had only been an intern for a short time. He was only on the ship a couple of weeks before he heard rumblings of an escape attempt. This wasn't anything new, those who hadn't given in to despair and hopelessness still hoped of escape, but when he heard who was involved, when he heard that the Chief Engineer was planning to break out, he saw an opportunity. It didn't really matter to him if the wild-haired alien actually managed to escape or whether he was destroyed in the attempt, but when he heard the Chief Engineer was going to try to escape, all he heard was a way to create a vacancy for himself to pull him out of the slave pens.

It was a cruel irony what his decision led to. There was no way he could ever have imagined that when Mick and his accomplice Brody escaped, they would take with them the power that would create yet another team of Power Rangers. It sometimes felt like he was doomed to forever be clashing with those brightly-coloured Spandex-clad nuisances. He had hoped to never see another Ranger again once he left Sledge's ship, but as soon as the Rangers had shown up, and Galvanax had focused his obsessions on Earth and regaining the power from them, Cosmo himself saw an opportunity. In the Rangers he had seen an opportunity that had led to almost a whole season's worth of programming now and a merchandising juggernaut. He had also surprisingly revealed he was aware that Wrench was the one that facilitated the escape, but given the result, he was willing to appreciate Wrench's ingenuity and ambition and Wrench indeed found himself becoming the Chief Engineer.

Wrench threw his axe, destroying a couple of Basher Bots as they came at him. He loved being behind the camera on this show. He learned very quickly that while fighters made money, the real money and the long-term prospects rested on the other side of the camera. Ripcon, Galvanax's most powerful warrior had spent years trying to shift onto the production crew and in the end suffered the same fate as other warriors on the show, falling to the Rangers a couple of months back now. Wrench was keen to do as much as possible to stay on the right side of the camera, including suggesting a few warriors and doing a few talent spotting gigs on the side, but unfortunately when he was damaged by an intruder to the ship, a mysterious stranger he had yet to find any trace of who only identified himself as Lord Drakkon, in his vanity he had taken the opportunity, along with Cosmo's open check book, to buy himself every upgrade he could possibly think of, including a great many that he was working on himself.

Cosmo had only seen him in action briefly, but having seen him in action against the Rangers, and knowing he had some history with the Pink Ranger, all Cosmo could see was an opportunity to put on another huge show. Given the fact that he had paid for Wrench to become a walking weapon of mass destruction it was hard to argue that he had a point that he wanted to see a return on that investment. Wrench could only hope that not only would he survive the battle, but that could convince Cosmo to allow him to make his career as a fighter last only that one fight. Fighters didn't retire, fighters WERE retired.

He unleashed a laser from his eyes, destroying another Basher Bot, before a target appeared. It was a life-sized mannequin of the Pink Ranger! His chest cavity opened up and his Gatlin laser came out, firing and utterly destroying the target. He heard a round of applause from the observation deck.

"Very impressive Wrench, VERY impressive!" Cosmo complimented him. "I'm starting to wonder if perhaps you missed your calling."

"No, I'm happy enough to retire after one bout." He answered. "But I might just like to pay a little visit to a certain museum curator in Amber Beach before we leave."

"I may just let you." Cosmo replied. "You concentrate on getting ready. I'll handle the promotion."

Wrench picked up the head of the Pink Ranger target and crushed it in his hands.

"For a one-off show? I'll be ready." He answered.

Sunday, the Rangers once again assembled at the base to discuss what to do about Viera.

Viera had been able to shower and thanks to Sarah, change. Viera was pretty close to the same size and build as Sarah so it wasn't hard for her to find enough spare clothing to make sure that Viera had something to wear other than the rags she had been provided by her gaolers.

They all listened as Viera relayed what had happened to her. It seemed that having laid Sel to rest and getting to a safe place, she finally felt ready to talk. The Rangers listened on in horror as they heard about it all. How her coronation had turned into a bloodbath. How arms dealers and manufacturers, who generally didn't take sides, were providing massive armaments to all the other factions in order to see Viera's reign end as quickly as possible. How she had been tortured for days in her own dungeons, and how some of her followers sacrificed everything to help her escape. She looked to the others, who just stared back in shock.

"Wow." Was all Hayley could muster. "I thought our political landscape was messed up."

"I don't get it. Why would anyone WANT war?" Calvin asked.

"There are a lot of people with a lot to lose if war in the Lion Galaxy was to end." Mick told them. "Even a reduction would see a lot of people lose an entire way of life."

"But all the people that die…?"

"Collateral damage." Redbot answered. "It's all about the bottom line for a lot of people. As long as their way of life, their social standing, their wealth is growing, they don't care about whose blood gets spilled in the process."

"My supporters were overwhelmed. By now I'm not even sure I have any left." She told them. "Those that weren't wiped out will probably have gone to other masters, either willingly or unwillingly."

"I couldn't think of anywhere else I could go where I'd be safe." She told them. "There'll be a price on my head all over the Lion Galaxy, perhaps even beyond. Bounty hunters don't really care about jurisdiction."

"She's got that right." Sarah answered. "The only thing Sledge cared about was the bounty. He didn't even care if it was a legal bounty as long as someone was paying."

"The term 'bounty hunter' legally means very little." Mick confirmed. "There are a lot of sickos who'd be more than happy to hand Viera back."

"I…I remembered that you helped before. That you offered to help if I ever needed it." Viera responded. "If I ever needed help, it's now."

"Viera…"

"Please, I don't want to ask, I know what I'm asking is…"

"Viera, we can't." Brody told her flatly.

"What?" She asked. "But you said…"

"Brody, you can't be serious." Sarah stated.

"It's one thing asking us to fight a battle for you or rid you of Drillion but to fight a war for you?" Brody asked her. "We're Power Rangers, we're not an army!"

"Brody, side-bar for a minute?" Mick asked him. Brody and the others just followed him aside. Mick sighed as he looked to them. "I…I think we should consider this."

"What?" Brody asked. "Mick, in case you hadn't noticed we have our own problems!"

"Everyone has their own problems, but this is something that could make a huge difference!" Mick stated. "I know I wasn't Viera's biggest fan before, but I think she might be onto something. Millions of people die in the Lion Galaxy every single day."

"The operative phrase is 'in the Lion Galaxy'." Brody answered him. "I'm sorry for what she's been through and what things are like there, but I really don't see where this is our fight."

"Well, it's just as well the Aquitarians didn't feel the same way." Mick responded.

"I'm sorry?" Brody asked.

"Or the Triforians." Preston added. The others just stared at him. "What? I read!"

"What about the Mercurian? Or the Andresian? What if they had all felt the same way?" Hayley asked him. "Earth would be in a very different place than it is now."

"There are only six of us." Brody reminded them.

"Except thanks to the Corsairs that's not really the case anymore." Sarah reminded him. "You say we're not an army, but we can GET one."

"No one is saying we can abandon the Earth. We know that isn't an option." Mick told him. "But now we have the Lion Ship and the Lion Fire Armour…"

"Alright, OK. So, we deal with Galvanax, and then…then we see what we can do to help Viera." Brody stated.

"Brody…"

"Most Rangers are retired now, a lot of them for very good reasons!" Brody reminded them. "We have no right to demand anyone get back into action to fight a war in a galaxy most of them have probably never even heard of. We can only ask and work with those that say yes."

"You mean…?"

"Like I said, we can't promise anything. We can only work with those that agree of their own volition." Brody answered. "VIERA!"

Viera looked up and towards him. Brody just took a deep breath.

"Alright, I can't promise anything." He began. "We might have a lot of tech, but when all is said and done there are only six of us."

"But you said…"

"The thing is we aren't the only Rangers out there." Brody told her. "I can't promise anything because I don't know how many of them we will be able to reach, much less ask to take part in a war. However, once we've dealt with Galvanax, I promise we'll ask around."

"You mean…?"

"I mean I'll ASK." Brody told her. "Unfortunately, that's really all I can promise. I'm not making any guarantees, but if we can get an army, we'll provide an army."

"Thank you!" She replied with a smile. "I know I can't ask for any more than that."

"Alright, so for the time being you're going to be staying." Mick replied. "The good news is that we already have an identity made up from the last time you were here."

"The bad news is, I guess that means you're going back to High School." Calvin told her, producing a backpack full of books. "We kept it from the last time."

"I guess if this is the price of getting back to my home, I can put up with it for a while." She answered. "But what about my injuries?"

"Well, we were thinking we could fold that into your story, explain why you're back here." Mick answered. "We figured if we said your parents were in some kind of farming accident and were in the hospital you were sent here to be taken care of by your relatives while they healed up."

"And what about this?" She asked, gesturing to the collar around her neck. Mick just sighed.

"I thought about that as well." He told her, pulling something out of his pocket. He handed her a little charm that looked like a lion's face, the crest of her family. She just looked at him confused. "Since we can't take it off yet, I thought if we attached this we could at least make it look more like a necklace."

"I…I suppose that's the next best thing." She said reluctantly. Mick placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We will get that collar off you. I promise you that much." Mick assured her, before looking to Redbot.

"I'll just attach the charm." Redbot told her. "Try to hold still."

Meanwhile, at a bus station on the edge of town, commuters were buzzing around getting where they needed to go. Cafes were running a strong business from those waiting on their buses departing and those catching some quick refreshments after long journeys.

One of the buses rolled up, and a passenger stepped off, carrying very little in the way of luggage. He was wearing only a pair of denims and a Harvard sweatshirt. He looked around as he got off the bus, adjusting his backpack onto his shoulder, before moving off.

"Travelling light?" He heard someone ask. He looked to the man sitting at a table in the café. The man had two cups of coffee sitting in front of him, along with a bear claw. Looking around the man sat down.

"I'm not planning on staying long." He replied, taking the cup closest to him. "So, you're the one that contacted me?"

"No, but I work for him." The man replied, sliding an envelope across the table to him. The stranger opened the envelope and looked inside. He pulled out a photograph and stared at it. The other man could see his grip tightening and hear a kind of low growl in his throat.

"Thompson." He growled.

"So, as you can see your trip hasn't been wasted." The man in the suit replied. "You'll find enough in cash there to get you a decent motel."

"Why contact me?" The stranger asked. The other man put a key down on the table.

"There's something in locker 317 for you." He answered. "Enjoy the coffee."

With that, he walked away, leaving his own coffee behind. The stranger pulled more out of the envelope. It was numerous pictures of Al, his family, and his home. There was even a business card from his new business. The stranger picked up the locker key and put it in his pocket, before picking up his coffee and taking a sip.


	5. A Strange Monday

By the time Monday rolled around, the Rangers were feeling naturally apprehensive. It was always a risk bringing Viera to classes, heck it took Mick a while before he really fit in, even if some days they wondered if he ever would. No one ever got hurt in his class, he was always quick to engineer situations to ensure that students wouldn't come to harm when things failed, but just like with Victor and Monty blowing up the paint room, he believed firmly in letting kids fail and more importantly see the potential consequences of their failures more than he believed in just stopping kids and telling them why they were doing things the wrong way.

Viera came from a very different way of life. Given her station as the heir to the throne, she'd had access to all the finest tutors and so much of her education was already complete. She could probably pass most college entrance exams in fields that didn't require knowledge of Earth such as history, but they were aware that she would always need a little help when people started asking questions. They already had the issue that Dr Williams, the science teacher, still believed her to be from Spurgeon, the same small town in Indiana that Sarah had claimed her "cousin" was from, and were a little concerned about what to do if he decided he wanted to reminisce about the old home town.

It was also still only days after she had been freed from captivity and watched an entire family sacrifice themselves to see her free. In some ways, they wanted to give her a little longer to process it all, but there was no way they could guarantee Mick would be able to be with her all the time and so had little option but to rush her back to the school a little earlier than they'd have liked.

She was just getting finished getting ready as the Rangers came in after morning training. Redbot had performed another scan of her to check on her physical wellbeing.

"You should be fine, but I'd suggest making sure at least one of the others is with you at all times for a little while." Redbot told her. Viera just nodded in response. Sarah looked to the lion charm on the front of Viera's collar and smiled.

"Hey, Mick and Redbot did a good job attaching that." She said. "It looks really great. I'm almost a little jealous."

"If I could give it to you I would." Viera grumbled. Sarah was trying to make light of the situation, but the 'necklace' was in fact a collar that had been welded in place, made of a metal called Leonus which circumvented her peoples' ability to shape-shift. Leonus was very dense and difficult to cut, and with it being on her neck, Redbot and Mick didn't want to risk cutting it off and potentially harming her. Mick's idea was to add a charm to make it look more like a necklace than a restraint on a cursory glance so that no one would ask questions.

"Right, do you remember your cover story?" Brody asked. She just nodded.

"I'm Sarah's cousin, I'm from Spurgeon Indiana." She reiterated. Brody just nodded.

"Alright, if it all gets too much for you, just let one of us know and we'll bring you back here." Brody told her. Viera just nodded.

"And hey, Kody is REALLY good at hugs." Hayley told her, hugging Kody tightly.

"Thank you, all of you." Viera responded. "But...I think I should be alright."

"Just let us know if you're not." Preston reiterated. "Alright guys, first bell should be ringing soon."

Elsewhere in the city, a stranger pulled up his car opposite the Thompson House, coming to a stop. He checked the address to make sure he had the right place, and then scoffed.

"Someone isn't doing too badly for themselves." He commented as he applied the parking brake. He looked up as he saw the front door opening, at which Al and Ellie came out. Ellie was dressed in a suit, and carrying some papers with her. Al looked to be talking to her. The stranger took out a camera, and snapped a few pictures.

"Ellie, you'll be fine." Al assured her. Ellie just sighed.

"I wish I had your confidence." She commented. "I'm going to be up against people twenty years younger than me..."

"And twenty years less experienced." She grumbled. Al pulled her in, kissing her gently. "That counts for a lot."

"Al, I've not worked in a few years..."

"And a lot of these kids haven't worked at all." He reminded her. "You'll do brilliantly, I just know it."

Ellie kissed him one more time, before heading down the street towards the bus stop. The stranger watched as Al went back inside. He settled into his seat as he opened the glove compartment and put the camera inside, right next to his unregistered gun.

Back at the High School, someone was having an amazing day! Today was Monty's official first day as the new Student Body President!

It was more than a little bit of a surprise, not least to Monty himself, largely because he had never entered his name onto the ballot, but in an overwhelming vote, he had won a write-in vote by more than ninety eight percent of the vote! Kids had seen him only a week earlier stand up to the school bully Ace, and without so much as lifting a finger, keep getting back up any time Ace shoved him down. His act of defiance had won a lot of hearts it seemed, because it turned out even if Calvin and Hayley HAD run, the result would still have been the same.

He wasn't wearing his usual kind of attire. Between his parents' excitement for his accomplishment and Victor's insistence that he use this as an opportunity to reinvent himself as the hero some people saw him as, he had been bought some new clothes. He was wearing a pair of black denims and a black sheer shirt. He still had the perm, he wanted to keep a little of his old look, but he had been told that he should project the kind of image people expected of in a President.

Kids were coming up to him, congratulating him on his victory and wishing him well.

"Thank you for your support." Monty said as one of the kids passed him a note of a few things he wanted to see raised at the next student/staff meeting.

"Alright folks, that's enough, the President is a busy man." Victor declared, putting his arm around him. "He'll get to your requests in due course, just use the official channels!"

Monty smiled a little at this. He was worried initially that the fact he had beaten out Victor, his best friend, might cause some contention, but Victor had been nothing if not supportive throughout the whole thing. He had been the first to congratulate him and he was largely the architect behind his new look.

"Wow, people are really something." Monty told him. "I don't know how I'm going to deal with this all; the job just seems overwhelming..."

"Well, that's what you need a secretary for." Victor told him, offering him a handshake. "Victor Vincent, former President and secretary extraordinaire at your service."

"Secretary?" Monty asked. "You...you really don't mind helping me?"

"Hey, you did it for me all last year right? What kind of friend would I be if I didn't return the favour?" Victor asked him. "Alright, so first thing we have to do is...Monty...Monty, where are you...?"

Monty stopped listening, or more accurately couldn't hear anything over the angel's choir he heard in his mind as he saw her. He could see Viera at the end of the hall with the Rangers and a smile crossed his face. He drifted through the crowd, floating like a dandelion seed in the breeze, bouncing uncaringly through the crowd. He found himself standing in front of her before he knew what was happening.

"Hi! Welcome back!" Monty greeted her. Viera looked to him, while the Rangers just stood around watching. She looked at him a little blankly. "The last time you were here I shared my lunch?"

"Oh, the sandwich guy!" Viera recalled. "I'm sorry, I didn't recognise you! You look really different. Murphy right?"

"Oh, it's Monty actually." He corrected her, not even caring that she got his name wrong. He was happy enough that she even remembered him! "Yeah, I changed up my look a little. Being President now it was suggested I update my look a little."

"You're President?" She asked him.

"Yeah, that was a surprise to me too!" Monty replied. "So, um...as President, let me welcome you back to the school! If there's anything you need, or if you just want another sandwich, just...come and say hi!"

"I'd like a sandwich." Calvin interjected. Monty either didn't notice him or didn't care as he continued to look at Viera. "Um...hi?"

"Thank you." She replied, looking him up and down.

"What? What is it?" He asked her.

"I was just thinking, it's a shame you changed your look." She commented. "I kind of liked it."

"We need to be going." Sarah said as the bell rang.

"I guess I'll see you around?" Monty asked.

"I suppose so." She replied. "Nice meeting you again."

"So...that's a no on the sandwich then?" Calvin asked as they walked away. "Um...hello? Am I invisible?"

"Only to some people." Hayley replied. "Of course, I think we were all invisible there for a moment."

"Oh, not all of us." Sarah said as she led her 'cousin' to her first class. "Come on."

As they disappeared, Monty stood with a spaced-out look on his face. Victor approached him.

"Monty, being President has some privileges, but cutting isn't one of them. You still have to go to class." Victor told him. "Monty?"

"Say Victor, you have your car today right?" Monty asked.

"Yeah, sure." Victor answered. "Why?"

"I need to go home at lunch time." He replied. "I need to change!"

As he walked away, Victor just sighed.

"Well, so much for the new look." He commented to himself. "I guess you gave it a fair chance of at least an hour."

Back at the Thompson House, Al was doing some work for his clients when he got to a point he could take a break. One of the benefits of his business was he didn't really need to be at the premises, also known as his Living Room, if he didn't actually have a client to sit with. Having no appointments on the books, and feeling like a little fresh air, he decided to run a couple of errands. He had his cell phone and he was sure his e-mail could live without him for a few minutes.

He headed out of his front door, and went towards the car, pressing the key fob. He was about to get in when he saw a car across the street he didn't recognise. While he had seen more cars in the neighbourhood since he opened his business since he didn't exactly have a parking lot, he only really saw anything other than the neighbour's cars when he had a client.

"Huh, looks like the Collins' finally traded in their Pontiac." He remarked to himself with a shrug. He got in and started up the engine, reversing out of the drive-way, before turning to head out to the local supermarket. In the other car, the stranger watched him go, getting a little way ahead before starting up his engine and following him.

It didn't take Al particularly long to get to the supermarket, indeed the only reason he took the car was because while he was still getting stronger from his injuries, he still didn't fancy carrying a significant weight all the way home.

Al strolled into the supermarket without a care in the world. One of the things he loved about his new business was the sheer freedom it gave him to take breaks and get out and about for some light exercise and air whenever he felt like it. It also allowed him very real opportunity to get to know a lot of the locals who were quickly coming to know him.

"Good morning Mr Thompson!" The greeter called to him.

"Please Paul, its Al." Al reminded him. "How's that new insurance plan I recommended working out for you?"

"So much better that I'm taking the family on a little trip to Mount Rushmore soon." He replied with a smile. "I thought it was time the kids saw it."

"I'm glad I could help out." Al told him.

"I'll just get you a basket..."

"I'm afraid it's a cart today." Al interrupted him. "The barbecue kind of cleared out the pantry."

"I'm not surprised; your wife can put on a great spread! I just wish she could teach me a thing or two!" He answered.

"I might just ask if she has some recipes she can pass along." Al answered with a smile as Paul got him a cart. "Enjoy the trip!"

"I'm sure I will." He replied as he headed inside. The stranger came in shortly behind him. "Hello sir, can I get you a cart or a basket?"

"No thanks." He answered.

"Really, it's no trouble I can..."

"I said no!" The stranger snapped at him, walking away. Paul just shook his head.

"Someone's having a bad day." He commented with a shake of the head, before returning to what he was doing. "Good morning madam, can I get you a cart or basket?"

Elsewhere in the city, Ellie was sitting in the waiting room to be called. The job wasn't much; it was just a part-time clerical job in the Police Department. Al didn't really want her to feel she had to work full-time; he wanted her to get back to her inventions. For a long time while Al was struggling to cope with his conviction and his alcoholism in the years that followed, she had been the main breadwinner in the house. Al had felt badly that Ellie had to take up almost sole responsibility for running the house while he was at his lowest, and he wanted more than anything to allow her to get back to doing what she loved, like she had before when he was in investments and money was no issue. The sad fact was that at least until his business was running smoothly, they needed at least one guaranteed income and so they'd made the compromise she'd seek part-time work.

Just as she'd predicted, she was among the oldest people in the waiting room. It wasn't much, just a clerical job, namely sending out citations, reminders for appearances, filing and suchlike. Between the salary and the nature of the work, a lot of the applicants were younger, and she felt like she was a little out of place.

"Mrs Thompson, the Captain will see you now." An officer told her. Ellie nodded her head and collected her belongings, before heading into the office. The Captain was sitting opposite her and shook her hand. He was a large man, slightly pudgy, but tall, and also bald, with dark skin and a stern-looking face.

"I'm Captain Raymond, please, take a seat Mrs Thompson." He greeted her. "Well, it has to be said; your resume is certainly one of the more unusual I have read."

"Is that a bad thing?" She asked him.

"I just have a few questions. Such as why someone with your...frankly outlandishly over-qualified CV is applying for a simple clerical position." He began.

"I...I just want something to bring a little money into the house." She admitted. "My husband has recently started a new business and we wanted at least one guaranteed income."

"I see." He commented, looking to her resume again. "I see long periods where you didn't work..."

"My husband was the main provider for a long time." Ellie admitted. "He had some difficult times and so I had to work, but for a while things were looking up so I went back to my own projects."

"So what you're saying is that you only want a source of income, and you're likely to leave as soon as you don't need us." He surmised. Ellie just shook her head.

"If I was just looking for an income there are a lot of cafes and supermarkets hiring." She told him. "If I'm going to work, I'd like to also be doing something that helps the community."

Captain Raymond didn't respond to that, and just looked back to her resume. Ellie already wasn't confident coming in here, but it looked almost like he was looking for reasons to just brush her out the door. She was considering picking up her things and going and taking the decision out of her hands when he finally spoke.

"Modern police work is changing all the time Mrs Thompson." He told her. "We're living in a new age of technology and media. I wondered if you would describe how familiar you are with these new trends."

"Well, Captain Raymond, I think it's clear from your demeanour since I sat down you took one look at me and my age and thought I'm some kind of dinosaur, so perhaps I shouldn't waste any more of your time." She began, starting to lose her temper. "But before I go, look at that resume you're so interested in one more time. My college diploma is from MIT. That isn't the Mediocre Intelligence Trust, that's the Manhattan Institute of Technology! If you look closely, you'll see it's a double masters in computing and engineering!"

Captain Raymond put down her resume and looked at her, his fingers tented.

"Also, among my job placements, I've been a programmer, a Social Media strategist and a coder!" She continued. "It may interest you to know I was writing harassment detection algorithms and profile protections for longer than platforms like Twitter have been around!"

He continued to stare at her without a word.

"It might ALSO interest you to know that I set up a program in my last job as a doctor's secretary to notify people to appointments and prescription renewals to their preferred platforms because people have a bad habit of ignoring mail on their doorstep but the average teenager is likely to check their social media pages no less than twenty times a day!" She continued. "So fine, I'm not as young as these people but don't for one minute believe I don't know what a damn tweet is because I was navigating these sites before they were popular! I also know how to run an office and can type over 100 words a minute, but if all you see is the lines in my face, by all means, hire that girl I saw out there tweeting her cat!"

"Mrs Thompson!" Captain Raymond called as she was storming out. As she looked to him, he smiled. "I'll see you at nine tomorrow morning for orientation."


	6. Early Days

At the supermarket in Summer Cove, Spike and Trevor were taking the opportunity to pick up a little lunch while on their rounds of the city. They had already been around some of the neighbourhoods that Trevor liked to frequent and had caught up with a few of the figures of note he liked to keep on good terms with. Not only had he made a lot of friends on the job, but it was a pretty reliable source of information when people actually talked to the cops and trusted them. Spike found he quite liked Trevor's approach to community policing.

Trevor was beginning to regret his decision to come in for lunch though. Spike was standing by the counter, staring through the glass at all the options on display and it was getting a little wearing. For a kid that looked somewhere between athletic and positively skinny, he was amazed how obsessed he was with food, especially junk food.

"For the love of God Skullovitch, just pick something will you?"

"You can't be too picky with your lunch choices." Spike told him sagely. "I'm likely not going to get to eat again until dinner time so it has to be something good."

"You're staring at a footlong hot dog!" Trevor pointed out.

"Yeah, it has to last." Spike protested. "Not to mention I need to pick out dessert. Oh man, those apple turnovers look great, but the donuts..."

"Skullovitch, I swear to God if you don't pick something in the next 30 seconds, I'm leaving you here!" Trevor warned him.

"Alright, I'll have a footlong spiced hot dog with everything on it, a vanilla cupcake...oh, and could I have a slice of that pepperoni pizza?" Spike asked the counter assistant. Trevor just face-palmed as the assistant went to get his order.

"I swear to God, by all rights you should weigh like six hundred pounds." Trevor declared. Spike just shrugged.

"A good metabolism runs in the family." He stated. Trevor looked across, seeing that Al was at the counter picking up some things. He smiled as he went over.

"Hey, Al isn't it? We met at the barbecue?" Trevor introduced himself. Al just shook his hand.

"Yeah, right, you're Hayley's stepdad right?" Al asked him. "It's a small world isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess it kind of is." Al responded. "I was just picking up a roast chicken for dinner. The rotisserie here is great."

"Chicken?" Spike asked. "Aw man, and I've already ordered!"

"My partner the human garbage disposal." Trevor laughed.

"It's your month with Hayley isn't it?" Al asked him. Trevor just nodded.

"Yeah, it is." He answered. "I've got to say, I never saw myself being a dad, but when the kid is as great as Hayley everything pretty much falls right into place."

"Yeah, I guess the worst you have to worry about is Kody shedding all over the place." Al chuckled. "I swear I stopped understanding half of what Sarah talks about when she was ten. I just kind of smile and nod politely whenever she talks about science. Say, you're the 86th Precinct aren't you?"

"Yeah?" Trevor asked. "Why?"

"Ellie's applying for a job there!" Al told him. "It's just clerical work but..."

"Oh, we do NOT talk badly about clerical workers!" Trevor stated. "If they're not there, we have to spend time in the office dealing with the mail."

"Talk about boooooooooring!" Spike added, coming up to them with his arms loaded with his purchases. Al just nodded.

"Well, I should really be getting back and check my e-mail." Al replied. "The only problem with being your own boss is any time you take off only cuts into your own profits."

"I'll check up on Ellie's application for you!" Trevor chipped in as Al left. He looked around as he heard a crash and saw Spike had dropped his purchases all over the floor.

"Skullovitch!" He grumbled.

"It's not my fault they didn't have a bag!" Spike complained as Trevor helped him pick up his stuff. He looked up and pointed. "Hey, you know that guy?"

"What guy?" Trevor asked, trying to see where Spike was pointing. "No, I can't say I have."

"Is it just me or does it look like he's following Mr Thompson?" Spike asked. "He was looking at that display and only left when Al did."

"Spike, you're being paranoid, people shop!" Trevor told him.

"People with guns?" Spike asked him. "He had a holster!"

"Spike, California is an open-carry state. He has every right to carry a weapon." Trevor answered as he collected the last of Spike's purchases. "Now come on, I still want to swing past the elementary school before they close out for the day. The parents like to see a uniform in the area every once in a while."

"OK." Spike answered, but as they headed to the checkout to pay for his lunch, he took one last look for the stranger and couldn't see any sight of him. He eventually just shrugged and went to pay for his lunch. After all, he was new to the city, maybe Trevor was right and he was just trying to find something exciting as the new guy to prove his worth.

Lunch time came around, and the Rangers headed into the canteen. Fortunately the biggest danger in the day was extreme boredom. So far no one had really approached or spoken to Viera. They had seen her before and most were unobservant enough to not even realise she had left. It did make the transition a while lot smoother, which was a good thing while she was still coming to terms with her new place on Earth.

"Hey, you could have picked a worse day to come back." Callum commented as he came over with some trays. While Sarah had managed to maintain Viera's fake ID, she hadn't yet set up one of the school's charge cards for her, meaning that Calvin and Hayley had to split the cost of her lunches between their cards in the meantime. "Look, burritos!"

"Burrito?" She asked, staring at the strange package item that Calvin put down in front of her. "What's that?"

"Its bread filled with meat cheese and other stuff." Sarah explained to her. "You know...it's sort of like a sandwich only with a different kind of bread!"

Viera's expression seemed to change and she immediately picked it up, taking a massive bite that looked like it should have easily choked her, gulping it down furiously. Hayley and the others just stared at her.

"Wow...someone likes her burritos!" Preston commented.

"Here, try a little of this." Calvin told her, handing her some hot sauce. "But be careful it's a little spicy..."

Viera upended the bottle over her burrito, filling it with fiery liquid so strong that the Rangers could smell it from a couple of feet away.

"Wait, that's too much you'll..." Hayley tried to warn her, only Viera not only didn't seem to notice but had a look of sheer joy on her face as she continued to devour her dish. "OK...I guess people from her neck of the woods don't have taste buds."

"So, you're back!" Ace said as he came over. The others just stared at him as he came over. "I didn't think you were dumb enough to come back here!"

"Uh...Ace, what are you doing?" Brody asked him.

"Last time she was here, I broke my fingers!" Ace told them. Preston just blinked.

"You're saying she broke your fingers?" Preston asked. Ace started to shift a little uncomfortably, seeing the Rangers struggling to stop laughing.

"I slipped and fell wrong alright?" He protested. "Listen, you need to learn..."

Viera just stopped eating for a second, before staring up at him, burrito filling covering her face from ear-to-ear. She just gave a disinterested shrug and went back to eating.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" He demanded.

"And I think she's done talking to you." Sarah chipped in. "So unless you have some other business here? We'd like to eat our lunch in peace."

Ace just turned and left the table. The other Rangers just stared at her.

"You beat up Ace?" Brody asked. Viera just let out a massive belch as she finished the last bite of her burrito.

"He was harassing that strange boy with the curly hair." She explained. "Oh, Calvin are you going to eat that?"

"Well, I..." He started to say before Viera snatched up his burrito. He just sighed. "I...guess I'm going for another!"

Over at the Thompson House, Al pulled up into the driveway, fetching his groceries out of the passenger seat. He looked around as he heard another car pulling into the street, and into the parking lot opposite his house, the Collins' place. He suddenly got a little curious when he noticed that it was the car he had seen them driving before. Maxine Collins got out of her car and waved to him.

"Hi there!" She called out. "Wow, someone's been hitting the shops!"

"Yeah, we were running a little low." Al commented. "Maxine, what happened to the other car?"

"Other car?" She asked him.

"Yeah, there was another car parked outside your house this morning. I thought you'd bought a new one." He told her. She just started laughing.

"A new car on my salary?" She joked. "Yeah, I only just got this one back from the shop. I'm starting to think there's so many new parts in it I'm not even sure I can say it's my old car anymore."

"No, there was a red car just here this morning. It was a Ford." He told her. She furrowed her brows.

"No one I know owns a red Ford." She told him. "Actually I just got back into town. I was visiting my sister in Harwood this weekend, I just stopped by the shop to collect the car."

"So that wasn't you that was parked outside earlier?" He asked her. She just shook her head.

"It's probably just someone trying to avoid the toll at the doctor's office." She suggested.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Al answered. "Well, hope you had a good time in Harwood."

"Oh, it was interesting alright." She chuckled. "See you around Al!"

Meanwhile, just at the end of the street, the Stranger in the red Ford watched Al go into his house, before starting up his engine and heading for his motel. He had seen enough for one day.

Back at the school, the final bell had gone, and everyone was heading home, all except for the Rangers. They all had a few things to work on, but the reality was they didn't really want to just abandon Viera at the end of her first full day in the school. While Brody, Mick and Redbot would be there, they all felt a certain responsibility to be there if she needed them. None of them felt that encouraging Viera to seek change at home was a bad thing to do, but none of them could argue that a lot of what had happened with the revolt against Viera could at least partly be considered their responsibility.

Sarah was working on her hoverboard, performing a few tweaks on it, while Mick and Calvin were doing the same with Brody's truck just to keep it running smoothly. Hayley had gone off to the tennis courts. None of them really knew why tennis was so important to her, but according to Calvin she had been practicing a minimum of an hour a day for at least a year. Brody, as per usual, was training while Preston was sitting with Viera, showing her some of his magic, both his tricks, and also his real magic.

Preston had come some way in his magical mastery, despite the fact no one had been around to teach him how to use it. He did know that there were others out there that used magic, but it wasn't as if he had time to contact anyone to ask for help or to go anywhere he could learn which meant for the most part he had to teach himself. As he pulled off his most impressive and difficult trick, summoning up a dragon the size of a large rat, he grinned brightly at her, awaiting her approval. Viera just looked to him.

"Is that it?" She asked him. Preston's dragon immediately disappeared without a trace as his concentration dissipated. He just looked at her, his smile falling from his face. "Oh, no it's…it's nice it was a really…really nice dragon."

"What do you mean 'is that it'?" He asked her. "I just made a dragon appear from thin air, do you know how difficult that is?"

"Well…?" She said, with a strained look on her face and a little shrug. She could see Sarah coming over, putting her hoverboard aside.

"That sounds like you've seen something bigger than that." Sarah commented. "I didn't know there was magic in the Lion Galaxy."

"Are you kidding? Of COURSE, there's magic in the Lion Galaxy!" Mick chipped in. "The power of some of the battle mages in my home galaxy alone was legendary!"

"But what you did it's…it's really nice too!" Viera said, trying to back-peddle a little. "I mean, some of the mages in my household studied for years at the Colleges before they were given their wands."

"Wand?" Preston asked. "Wands are really a thing?"

"Of course, they are! They act as a catalyst and help channel their power!" She told him. "But without training and without a wand, it's really impressive what you can do."

"Man, I knew that I was missing something!" Preston grumbled. "I'll bet all the mages in your household are all super old guys with huge white beards and…"

He noticed her sucking her teeth. She looked to him a little apologetically.

"Actually, some of the mages we have in our household army are signed up at twelve." She admitted. Preston's eyes just shot open wide.

"TWELVE?" He asked incredulously. "You're telling me I'm not even matching the magic of kids that haven't been through puberty?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it!" She protested. "I'm sure if you had access to a wand and some of our teachings you could be great!"

"Yeah, you heard what Viera said, those kids had been practicing for years." Sarah reminded him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I love your magic, it's pulled our butts out of the fire more than once."

"Man, I wish I had a wand." Preston grumbled. "I suppose you can't just pick up any random stick and start waving it, around right?"

"Certain materials have different magical properties." Viera told him. "Crafting a wand, a basic wand is difficult, for some of the legendary wands it's easily as difficult as crafting some of the most advanced weapons' systems like the Lion Ship."

"Yeah, sorry Tom. I don't mean to keep putting it off, it's just…something important came up." Levi said as he arrived back, speaking on his cell phone. "Yeah, I hope we can reschedule soon too."

"How is he?" Sarah asked. Even without her heightened empathy, she could see that Levi was getting pulled in a few different directions lately. He had only recently found out that he was in fact Aiden, Brody's older brother. When he had taken the Gold Power Star from the Nexus Prism, Madame Odious had kidnapped him and transferred his memories into her robot in an attempt to infiltrate the Rangers. Even after 'Aiden's' destruction, which triggered a lot of his memories into returning, he had struggled to make sense of any of them and to put them together in any meaningful way. It was only a chance encounter seeing a suit of Sensei armour in San Angeles that sent him to the Wind Ninja Academy where the pieces fell into place.

While Levi was glad to get his life as Aiden back, and in the process his family, the issue was that he already had a life as Levi. While he had set it up originally as just a cover to help hide him from Galvanax, it had evolved into a life all of its own. The Westons had took him in, giving him another family that were every bit as much of a family as the Romeros were. He was trying to get Brody and Tom, his brothers, to unite and to unite both families, but so far fate hadn't quite provided the opportunity to do so. He put his cell phone away.

"He's as good as I can expect." Levi replied sadly. "Tom's been great, I just wish things weren't so hectic. So, what's the issue here?"

"I just found out that by Lion Galaxy standards my magic's the equivalent of hanging a spoon from the end of your nose." Preston muttered.

"That's not exactly what Viera said." Sarah reminded him.

"You know I never did figure out that trick." Levi commented, at which Viera just got up and walked off.

"Viera, are you…?"

"I just…I just feel a little tired." She told them. "I want to go and rest."

"Sure, we'll try not to disturb you." Mick answered. Preston suddenly looked a little guilty.

"Do you think it was something I said?" He asked. "I wouldn't have complained if…"

"Preston, I don't think it has anything to do with that." Sarah told him sadly.

"So, what do you think it is?" Levi asked. Sarah shook her head.

"I think it's something she needs to approach us with when she's ready." She told them. "Come on Preston, I've made a few tweaks to my board. I should be able to get us most of the way to mine on one charge now."


	7. Awkward Meeting

Wednesday rolled around and Al was in the Living Room, beginning to get breakfast ready. It was a unique position he found himself in, but one that he actually kind of enjoyed, thinking that he would be the one that got everyone ready for their day ahead. Ellie had gotten the job at the police precinct she had applied for and had done her orientation meaning today was her first proper day.

Ellie came down the stairs wearing a simple business outfit that she hadn't really had much call to wear in a good few years. For many years when Al was in investment, she didn't actually need to work and so spent her days in her garage working and tinkering on her various inventions. After the fraud case, when Al's career took a nose-dive, she had taken on a variety of work to keep the family's heads above water financially, but in general never anything that really required formal wear. Al saw her and smiled.

"You think this will be alright?" She asked him. Al came across, pulling his wife into himself.

"The criminals of Summer Cove won't know what hit them." He told her, kissing her softly. She just chuckled.

"Al, it's not like I'm going to be pounding the pavement with Trevor or anything." She responded. "The closest I'll get to facing down criminals is processing their court reminder notices."

"My wife, the warrior for freedom and justice." He said, beginning to get a little closer. Sarah came by and shielded her eyes.

"Whoa, a little warning would be appreciated." She commented. "I get that's where I came from, but it is WAY too early to subject the child to parental PDA."

"Oh come on, it's healthy for kids to see their parents as people in real loving relationships." Al told her.

"Yeah...just maybe after breakfast." She suggested as she sat down and started pouring her cereal. Just then, there was a ring at the doorbell. Al went through to answer the door while Ellie sat down with Sarah and started to fix herself a croissant.

"Nice suit." Sarah complimented her mother as she poured herself some fruit juice.

"I know, it's a little dated..."

"No, I really mean it! Don't you know, these things come around in cycles?" Sarah rushed out. "You know, they go out of style, they come back into style..."

"Are you trying to say it's been so long since I've had a real job my wardrobe has had time to become a throwback?" Ellie asked her. Sarah suddenly felt the pressure of being put on the spot.

"Uh..."

"Hey there! Look who showed up!" Al stated as he entered with Preston.

"Oh thank God!" Sarah rushed out, thankful for the change of subject as she hugged him tightly.

"Well, I guess it's not the MOST unusual way I've been greeted in the morning." Preston said with a smile as he returned the greeting. "Dad's meeting with his guys to straighten out the last details on their contracts and start schedule a groundbreaking and...to be honest I stopped listening. All that business stuff makes me want to go back to sleep."

"I just need to feed Whinny and then I'll be ready to go." Sarah told him, quickly slurping down her cereal. "I promise I'll only be a couple of minutes."

"So, you're going in to school with her this morning?" Al asked.

"Yeah, she wants to try out her hoverboard. She's been making some modifications to it." Preston informed him. "It's got plenty of charge for her to get there, but with a passenger it starts to run down pretty quick so she's trying to make some modifications to improve its efficiency. Yesterday we managed to make it as far as the strip mall!"

"She's making modifications to her board?" Ellie asked. "Maybe I can..."

Just then, they were interrupted as the doorbell rang again. She just looked to Al curiously.

"Are you expecting anyone?" She asked him. He just shook his head.

"I've not got any appointments scheduled." He replied as he got up and went to the door. Ellie started stroking her chin as she thought about what Preston had told her.

"So she's thinking about efficiency, has she considered increasing the output of the power pack?" She asked him. Preston just looked to her.

"Uh...I'm not sure...to be honest as far as science goes I can just about light a Bunsen burner." He admitted. "I think it's clear she's the science minded one around here."

"Hey, look who showed up!" Al said as he came in with Trevor.

"Trevor!" Ellie announced. "This is a nice surprise, what are you doing here?"

"Well, we're both heading the same direction aren't we?" He asked her. "I thought I'd give you a ride."

"Oh, that is such a lovely thought! Isn't it Al?" She asked.

"I guess you could call it a 'community service' right?" Al chuckled. Sarah groaned as she arrived back in the room.

"Dad, how many times do I have to tell you your dad jokes are NOT funny?" She begged him. He just shrugged.

"I'm a dad; it's in the job description." He answered. Ellie wrapped up her bagel in a napkin.

"I'll just take a moment to get ready." She assured Trevor, not wanting to keep him hanging around too long. "I just need to get my phone."

The doorbell rang again. Now everyone stared at each other.

"Uh...when did this become a hub?" Al asked as he went to answer the door. Sarah started to get her things together.

"So, Hayley was telling me you're puppy-walking a new recruit." Sarah said, trying to make conversation with Trevor. He just smiled.

"Yeah, Skullovitch is a good kid." He answered.

"Skullovitch?" She asked. "That...that sounds familiar for some reason."

"My dad's done business with a EUGENE Skullovitch a few times." Preston replied. Sarah shook her head.

"No, no that's not it." She responded. "Man, that's going to annoy me."

"Sarah hates not knowing anything." Preston told Trevor with a grin. "I swear she sulked for a week until I finally told her how my doves in a box trick worked."

"Sarah, do you know this kid?" Al asked as he came into the room, followed closely by Monty.

"Monty?" She asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Um...I uh..." She started to stammer, suddenly becoming really uncomfortable. "I was here to offer to walk Viera to school."

"Viera?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, as Student Body President I'm...um...in charge of...an orientation program! To get new kids to feel a little more comfortable moving to the school." He told her. "You know, make sure people know the way, know their way around..."

"Really?" Sarah asked. "I don't remember anything like that when I got here..."

"Yeah, that was the old administration." Monty answered. "So, where is she?"

"Oh, Viera's not here." Sarah told him. "She lives...closer to the school."

"Yeah, you'll see her when she's there." Preston answered.

"Oh...well sorry to have disturbed you." Monty said as he left the house. Ellie came back into the room with her phone in her hand.

"Alright, that's me ready to go." She told Trevor.

"I'm parked just outside." He answered.

"Yeah, we should be going too." Sarah replied. "See you tonight dad!"

"See you all later!" Al replied as they all filed out of the room. He sat down and took a sip of his coffee before a thought occurred to him.

"Cousin?" He asked himself. "Sarah doesn't have any cousins?"

Outside the house, the stranger was keeping an eye on the house. He had been watching the comings and goings to get an idea of the routine around the house, so that he would know the best time to approach. He didn't really see much of a pattern when people would be coming and going so he had thought perhaps it would be an idea to get more of an idea what Ellie and Sarah did during the day.

Sarah came out of the house, and he looked out his car key, preparing to start his car, but a second later he saw a uniformed police officer coming out. He drew back and a look of frustration crossed his face.

"You've got to be kidding me!" He muttered. With Ellie having a literal police escort following her would be more than a little risky. As Ellie and Trevor got into his car, he saw Sarah and Preston leaving. He just sighed. "Change of plan. I guess I'm tailing Sarah today."

As Sarah tossed down her hoverboard, which started to float above the ground, before getting on, he put the keys into the ignition. He watched Preston get on behind her and wrap his arms around her, holding on tightly as they raced off. Starting the engine, he pulled away from the curb, keeping a safe distance as he followed them.

Up on the Warrior Dome, Wrench was making some adjustments to his systems while he kept an eye on things down on Earth, using the Buzz-Cams for some surveillance. Being on the production team he had the advantage over the other competitors that he had virtually limitless access to the resources of the ship to keep an eye on things and try to find good opportunities to target the team ahead of his debut. He cycled through what he could see.

"Gold and Red Rangers going for coffee...hm, that's a lot of firepower between them." He mused as he looked to them. "The Yellow and White Ranger...what are they, surgically attached? When do they ever get a moment to themselves?" He commented. "Yellow and White are on fifth, Red and Gold seem to be on eighth, and they could be there pretty quickly. I'm not liking those odds."

Wrench was confident in the power of his new body. He had designed his weapons systems himself to be a walking weapon of mass destruction, sort of like a miniaturised Zord, but that didn't mean he was above tipping the odds in his favour if he could. He was looking for an opportunity at an ambush. He knew that Cosmo wanted an epic battle, but he figured as long as he took Buzz-Cams with him he could call it a 'preview' to get the audience excited for the final battle. At least...that's what he was telling himself.

He looked to the monitors, seeing the Pink and Blue Rangers heading for the school on the Pink Ranger's hoverboard. More than anything he really wanted to savour his opportunity to get his hands on her. She had been plaguing his life since he worked for Sledge. He was hoping once he quit and took the job on the Warrior Dome he would be done with the Amber Beach team, but it seemed like she just wouldn't leave him alone, even taking up the powers he inadvertently released by helping Brody and Mick escape the ship.

He saw their position on the map. They were across the other side of town from the others. He reached across, picking up his axe.

Down in Summer Cove, Tom walked into a coffee shop, finding Levi and Brody sitting in a booth waiting for him. He had been working to keep the backers and businesses interested in Levi, making sure they all bought that he was using his hiatus to work on new work that would set the Country scene on fire when he made his return. Since Levi had already been on a hiatus for about a year before he returned for one concert then heading off again, some people were already a little nervous about continuing to push Levi as a credible asset. Artists could be flaky, but they were only worth the hassle to people while they were producing work. Tom was working overtime making sure that Levi had a career to go back to once his duties in Summer Cove were over. Then again, looking out for Levi was something he had done almost as long as he could remember. He was a kid when his dad brought him into the family.

He saw Levi waving him over and made his way across, carefully navigating the tables and chairs as he went.

"Tom, glad you could make it. You're a tough man to get a hold of. How was Austin?"

"It wasn't all bad, the company just wanted to go over some of your samples." Tom told him.

"Great, we can talk about that in a little bit." Levi answered. "You remember Brody right?"

This was the real reason for the meeting. Levi had been trying to set up some time between himself, Brody and Tom for a while now. He had tried to schedule a dinner but with Viera's sudden arrival, things were a little more up in the air.

Tom was more than a little surprised when Levi told him the truth. Although he and his dad had known that there was something in Levi's past that he hadn't felt comfortable telling them about when he came to them, they had always hoped that giving him the love and support of a good home would one day let him feel comfortable enough to talk to them about how he had ended up on the streets. They had always imagined all sorts of scenarios that might have led to a young boy his age being on the streets by himself, ranging from abuse to abandonment and while they understood he might not want to discuss that, they always concentrated on giving him the best family they could. As time went by it became clear he was unlikely to ever tell them.

It was quite the tale how he had been run out of his home by literal monsters, how he had fled for his life at his father's request. Tom had always known that somewhere, it was likely Levi had a family and that one day either he might seek them out or they might seek him out. That didn't mean to say it didn't sting a little when Levi explained he had a brother. That the brother was Brody, someone Tom had seen around for quite a while was another shock.

Sitting at the table, he took off his hat before holding up his hand and calling over to the counter.

"I'll have the full breakfast!" He declared. "Black coffee and keep it coming."

"Coming right up." The girl behind the counter replied. Levi smiled and looked to them both.

"Well, this is nice, isn't it?" He asked. Brody nodded, while Tom was a little more reserved. The waitress poured him a coffee, leaving it as she went to get his breakfast. Tom put down a folder.

"This is some notes they have on your recent work." Tom told him.

"Notes?" Levi asked. "They haven't bothered giving me notes before."

"Well, they have now." Tom told him. "They're just a little concerned that they haven't heard from you in a little while."

"I have been kind of busy." Levi reminded him.

"You know, if you guys are going to talk business, maybe I should just head to school..."

"It's fine Brody." Levi answered, before looking to Tom. "You have explained I've got a lot on right now haven't you?"

"I know that and you know that." Tom put down flatly. "But the guys with the cheque books aren't quite so understanding. They've suggested putting out a release until you give them something."

"A new release?" Levi asked. "How can they release work without me?"

"Re-mix." Tom stated. Levi just let out a long, low breath.

"Levi Weston does NOT do re-mixes." He stated.

"They're...not so much suggesting you do it." He replied. "They've got someone in mind to use samples..."

"Oh, that is NOT happening!" Levi said, getting out his phone and dialling. "I'll be right back."

"Levi, LEVI!" Tom called after him, but to no avail. He just sighed and went back to his coffee, drumming his fingers as he waited for him to have his discussion with his record executives about his creative integrity. He looked to Brody, who looked like he was looking for an exit. Tom just adjusted himself in his seat.

"So...how are...things?" He asked, trying to think of some way to strike up a conversation. It was a little difficult since he really didn't know Brody. Given the age difference they really didn't have much in common that he could think of. It also wasn't so long ago that Tom had publically embarrassed him in the school, accusing him of plagiarism for ripping off one of his songs that it turned out Brody's dad had written in the first place without either of them realising it.

"Oh, you know. School. Training. Fighting evil space monsters." Brody answered with a shrug. "You?"

"I've been talking to lawyers and music executives so, pretty much the same." Tom joked weakly. Brody forced a little smile at which Tom tried to think of something else. "So...Levi said your dad brought you both up on a farm?"

"Yeah, it's a nice little place in Millport." Brody told him. "It's still there. It needs a little work, but I was thinking maybe I might move back there when I don't have so much on."

"Yeah, there's nothing quite like the farm life is there?" Tom asked, trying to guide the conversation onto some shared ground. "So, what kind of livestock did you have there?"

"Uh...no livestock. Dad didn't really know anything about rearing animals." Brody told him.

"Oh...well...that's cool. So it was an agricultural farm?" Tom asked. "Back home we have these corn fields that stretch..."

"Uh...we didn't really do much in the way of crops either." Brody answered. "Dad grew enough in the garden to cover some basics, but for the most part he just did odd jobs and bought what we needed."

"So you lived in a farm but you didn't raise animals or grow crops?" Tom laughed weakly. "Can you even call that a farm? Sounds more like a glorified garden."

Brody just glared at him, letting Tom know that he'd hit a nerve. He hadn't meant anything by the joke, but thinking back it had to sound like he was taking a shot at Brody's dad. Levi came in.

"Hey, I just talked to them and promised them I'd give them some work I've done in my spare time, but I've told them that Kylee Styles can get her own stuff to mangle."

He looked between them both.

"Nice to see you both getting along." He said.

"Yeah, we were just getting to know each other." Brody answered. "Listen, it's getting late, maybe we should be heading."

"Oh, man I didn't realise how long that call took! I guess I let time get away from me." Levi answered as he put some cash down. "We have to do this again some time."

"Yeah." Tom answered as Brody and Levi left. "I can't wait."


	8. Power Rationing

Sarah whooped with joy as she whipped her hoverboard around the streets of Summer Cove. She had always loved speed, and she'd especially loved her hoverboard. Like many people, she had always dreamed of being to fly. Nothing exemplified true freedom than the ability to go literally anywhere you wanted, to choose any direction to go at any given moment. While her hoverboard wasn't really able to "fly" per se, it wasn't completely enclosed the same way as say a helicopter or a plane and so to her it was the closest anyone was likely to get to being able to truly fly, without evolving to have wings or something…not that she ruled that out as a possibility, just not likely within her lifetime.

She felt Preston gripping her a little more tightly and smiled. She didn't really know what she enjoyed more, zipping around on her hoverboard or feeling Preston gripping on for dear life. He knew that she wasn't likely to put him in any real danger, and she had willingly put herself in danger for his tricks a few times, but he did feel a little bit of panic whenever he was on the back of her board. Of course, she knew for all his complaining and whimpering it was the kind of panic he really enjoyed, the same way people loved the feeling of fear they got from riding a roller coaster or parachute jumping. It was a safe fear, one that came from the body reacting to the stimulation of high speed or falling but with the knowledge that when all was said and done no real harm was likely to come from it. Preston hugs were good hugs, and she did love feeling his arms around her.

There was kind of a sputtering sound from her board and she looked down, seeing the low battery warning blinking. She decreased the speed.

"Hold on!" Sarah told him. "I'm bringing us down."

She managed to bring the board over to a patch of grass, before slowing it to the stage they could step off safely. The board dropped down and the engine died as Sarah went over to it, picking it up and looking to it, before pulling out a notebook and a pen.

"Well, we got further than we did last time." She commented. "Switching out those steel parts for titanium was expensive, but the weight reduction did give it a little more air time."

"Yeah, it still didn't get us all the way to the school though." Preston remarked. "But I can see it from here, so there's that."

"Yeah, I just wish I knew what else I could do to it." Sarah sighed. "I mean, I've done everything I can think of."

"Maybe a bigger power pack?" He suggested.

"I don't want to risk blowing out the motors." She told him. "Besides, a bigger power pack just means more weight."

"Well how about I help you shed some dead weight?" Wrench asked as he came out of hiding, throwing his axe straight for them. Sarah and Preston both dived aside, rolling clear as his axe soared through the air. There was a red Ford coming around the corner at the time, which swerved to try and avoid the axe, but it was already too late and the axe hit it, causing it to tumble over and over before hitting a wall.

"Preston! Is he OK?" Sarah screeched, seeing the vehicle ending up on its roof.

"I'd be more worried about yourselves if I were you!" Wrench stated as he recalled his axe to his hand.

"You know, I think that's really good advice." Preston agreed, pulling out his morpher. "Maybe we should take it."

"We can always check on the driver later." Sarah agreed.

"NINJA SPIN!" They called out together.

Meanwhile, over at the Ranger Base, Calvin and Hayley were sitting with Viera, checking over her homework as she was getting ready for the day ahead.

"Viera, I told you the answer is one. There's only one planet in the Milky Way that has life on it." Hayley told her.

"But that's not true! There are at least 187!" She protested.

"Yeah…NASADA hasn't really found those other worlds yet." Calvin told her. "So as far as Earth knows, there's only one."

"You mean people on this planet think that the entire universe exists purely for them?" She asked. "That seems unlikely…and more than a little conceited."

"Oh, we know there are other inhabited worlds, Earth's been invaded a few times." Hayley answered. "But not by anyone in the Milky Way so…"

"Fine, I'll change my answer." She grumbled as Kody came by, brushing up against her. "What's up with him? Shoo, shoo!"

"It's alright, he just wants you to pet him." Hayley told her. "Just give him a little stroke, he'll be alright."

Viera just looked to her a little curiously before gently starting to stroke the dog. She had never had any pets back home, her father never encouraged her to get close to anyone. It just made it harder to view people or creatures as expendable assets if one got attached to them.

"Good news Viera, I have a present for you." Mick told her, presenting her with a plastic card. "We finally managed to get you a charge card of your own, so the guys won't have to put your lunches on theirs anymore."

"Yeah, and maybe I'll get to eat my own lunch." Calvin teased Viera, recalling the burrito incident.

"So, if none of you are paying for it, then who is?" Viera asked him.

"Uh…it's…it's covered." Mick assured her.

"Yeah, but by who?" Hayley asked curiously.

"I…don't think it's best you know too much." Mick replied.

"Come on Mick, we're already broken a whole bunch of identity and forgery laws, I think we can handle it." Calvin told him. "So, what, are we embezzling the school board now?"

"I don't think I'm on board with that." Hayley responded.

"We have a benefactor who's only too happy to pay for her lunches alright?" Mick answered. He didn't really want to tell them that it was Principal Hastings. While the team knew where she lived, and knew that as a result of her captivity at the hands of Madame Odious she now knew who they were, they didn't know that she actually came from old money.

Before the Tiens had bought up a virtual Monopoly of the city, the Hastings had been the first family of Summer Cove. Having no interest in the family business, being more interested in teaching, she had sold out most of the holdings, keeping only the family home, but that meant that she now has a serious bank balance. She didn't like to advertise the fact, but she had told Mick that most of the anonymous donations to the school had come from her. Whenever the school was short of anything a generous booster who wanted to remain anonymous would cut a check. She already covered the bill for a lot of the lower income students' lunches so one more wasn't really much of an issue for her. That said, she didn't advertise the fact she had money and Mick didn't really see it as his place to do so either.

Just then, the entrance opened and Levi and Brody came in.

"Yeah, sorry I had to make that call. I know we were meant to have breakfast." Levi told him. "Still, I'm sure you and Tom were able to keep each other occupied."

"Yeah, it was fine." Brody answered. He could see how important it was to Levi to try and get them to get along. As much as Brody was overjoyed to have his brother back, and wanted nothing more than to have him to himself he had come with something of a reasonable amount of baggage. In the ten years since their family had been torn apart, while Brody's life had been put largely on hold as a result of his imprisonment, Levi's it seemed had moved on. He had created a whole new identity, a new life and even a new family for himself. Brody could understand that asking him to just throw that away was unlikely to happen, but the idea of having another brother, one that he barely knew and seemed to have very little in common with was something he wasn't sure he was ever going to get used to. Of course, he didn't want to spoil things for Levi by just blurting out that he wasn't sure he even liked Tom never mind could accept him as a brother.

"Hey, maybe we can arrange that dinner for later in the week." Levi suggested. "There's a great place nearby that does THE best steak…"

"Maybe." Brody said in an off-hand way. Just then, an alarm sounded. The Rangers rushed to one of the monitors.

"Buzz-Cams are in a neighbourhood a short way from the school." Redbot told them. "It's Wrench!"

"It looks like he's decided to give the audience a little promo reel." Mick stated. "Preston and Sarah are already out there!"

"Why do I get the feeling that's not a coincidence?" Hayley asked. "Alright, let's get out there, before Wrench levels the whole street!"

Back at the site of the battle, Wrench was playing with the Pink and Blue Rangers, showing off the incredible power of his latest upgrades. He grabbed Sarah, thrusting her up against a wall by the throat.

"We've come a long way since Amber Beach, haven't we?" He asked her. "I'll bet you thought I was a joke over there like that little scientist friend of yours!"

"You are a joke Wrench!" She said defiantly. "You've gone from being an errand boy for one psychopath to an errand boy for another psychopath!"

"What's wrong with psychopaths?" He asked her, pulling her away from the wall before slamming her into it again. "As long as he pays well, who cares if Cosmo is a psychopath? He's given me more in one year than Sledge did in 65 million! I might not have got the chance to get even with that museum curator but tearing you apart well…"

"You are such a whiny little cry-baby do you know that?" She interrupted him. "Either get over it or get on with it! Either way learn to move on!"

"Oh, I plan on getting on with it, but not just yet." He told her. "Our little grudge match is the main-event Cosmo wants this week. Of course, your little friend there…"

"PRESTON!" She screamed as he started to come towards them. Wrench opened up his missile ports, opening fire with a massive salvo of missiles. Preston de-morphed as he flew through the air, hitting the ground hard, before lying still. He threw Sarah aside just as the other Rangers showed up.

"Time to go I think." He stated. "See you all Friday!"

With that, he disappeared. Sarah rushed over to Preston's side, finding him unconscious as the others joined her.

"What happened?" Brody asked.

"I don't know, Wrench just came out of nowhere! He started blasting us and…" She babbled, holding onto Preston tightly. She suddenly looked over to the wrecked car. "That car! There's someone inside!"

"We'll check on him!" Hayley assured her as she and Calvin went over to the wreck. Brody pulled out his communicator.

"Redbot, Mick, set up the medical facilities, Preston's been hurt pretty badly." Brody told them. "Also, call an ambulance. We have a civilian casualty…"

"Uh…belay that last part." Hayley told them.

"But the guy in the car…"

"Whoever was in the car is gone." Calvin told them, before pulling out a gun.

"But we saw that car get thrown across the street!" Sarah told them. "Whoever was in that car needs medical help!"

"I have a feeling whoever was in that car probably didn't want to wait around for the authorities." Calvin told them, showing them a gun. "The serial number's been filed off. I don't know many people that do that for any good reason do you?"

"It's just as well our suits have gloves." Hayley commented as Calvin threw the gun back into the car. "We might not need an ambulance anymore but the cops might want to ask this guy a few questions when they track him down."

"Speaking of which, I hear sirens." Levi said as he picked up Preston. "Come on, we need to get out of here."

With that, they left the scene of the battle behind.

Over in another part of the city, the stranger stumbled through the streets back towards the motel he was using as a safe-house. He stopped by a drug store for some supplies, namely pain-killers and some basic first aid supplies. He had been right on Sarah's tail when the attack went down.

In the confusion he had fled before anyone could come to check on him. He didn't really know what had happened, he had just seen a robot appearing in the street shortly before his car started tumbling over and over. He didn't want to wait around for the authorities. He didn't want to explain why he was driving around following a seventeen-year-old with an unregistered gun with no serial number. That in and of itself would lead to some serious jail time, the fact he was already a convicted felon would mean he would likely spend the remaining good years of his life back in prison.

He took a little time to fumble with the door lock to get in, before shutting out the world behind him. He went to the table and sat down, taking a look at his injuries before he got out his burner phone.

"It's me." He said to the man on the other end. "I ran into a complication."

"What kind of complication?" The man on the other end of the line asked.

"I was doing some surveillance…"

"SURVEILLANCE?" The other guy asked. "It's a private citizen that lives in suburbia, not a dignitary! What kind of surveillance do you need to…?"

"For your information it turns out he's friendly with a local cop!" The stranger interrupted him. "I think I've got all the information I need, but while I was gathering information there was an attack in the city. I lost the care package."

"You lost the care package?" The man on the other end asked.

"The car was totalled! I had to leave before the authorities got there!" The stranger told him. "I'll need another weapon too."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd wonder if you were stalling." The man on the other end stated.

"I can't exactly help it if a robot turns up and blows up the car, can I?" He asked.

"You lived in Panorama, you should be used to that kind of thing!" The other man stated, before taking a deep breath. "Alright, another care package will be dropped at the motel later, but this is the last one."

"Don't worry, it's all I'll need." He assured him. "I've got all the information I need. I know when I can get to him alone."

"Good." The stranger answered. "We've spent a lot of time and effort on this already. Don't disappoint us."

"Don't worry." The stranger replied, opening a packet of bandages. "It'll be a pleasure."

Back at the Ranger Base, Mick and Redbot had finished setting up the medical supplies when the Rangers arrived. Levi set Preston down carefully on the table.

"He looks like he's been shaken up pretty badly. He's been in and out on the way back here." Levi told him.

"Let me get to him." Sarah told them. "I can use my power…"

"Sarah, we can't let you do that." Brody told her.

"Brody, I can heal him! You know I can!" She screamed at him.

"It might not be the worst idea…"

"She's been using her power on her dad." Brody told him. Sarah just looked at him aghast.

"Brody!"

"She has?" Mick asked, before looking to her. "You have?"

"Well, I…um…"

"She's been syphoning off a little of his pain each day for weeks." Hayley confirmed.

"Guys, I told you that in confidence!" She yelled at them, before looking to Mick. "Mick, it's fine I can do this!"

"Sarah, we're still not sure what the extent of your powers is. We have no idea how much your body can take." Mick told her.

"Don't you think I know what I can take?" Sarah asked him.

"Frankly no I don't! We all know you'd take on the pain yourself, especially when it comes to Preston." Mick told her. "But if you're already taking on your dad's injuries taking on Preston's too might be pushing you too hard."

"That's my risk to take!" She yelled at him.

"No, it's not!" Brody stated, standing between them. "I'm sorry Sarah, but as leader of this team I already have one Ranger down, I can't risk making that two."

"You're forbidding me from helping my boyfriend?" Sarah shrieked at Brody.

"If that's how you want to see things then yes, I am!" Brody stated. "Sorry Sarah, but we just can't risk it."

"You really think you can stop me if…"

"Don't make me ban you from the base." Brody warned her. "I don't want to but I will."

"Hayley, you understand, don't you?" Sarah begged her.

"Yeah, she does, and so do I." Calvin answered. "I know if it was Hayley lying on that table and if I had to I'd rip my own heart out of my chest with my bare hands and give it to her."

"That's sweet." Hayley stated. "A little bit of a disturbing mental image but sweet."

"The point is we know that what's good for you isn't going to be a consideration." Levi said sympathetically. "So, if you won't take care of yourself, then we have to."

"Preston's not going anywhere any time soon." Redbot told them. "I'll need him to rest here for the rest of the day, then we can see how he feels, but taking him into battle's out of the question."

"That must be what Wrench was after all along." Sarah sighed. "He said that it's me and him that Cosmo wants in his event this Friday. He doesn't care about the rest of us because you don't have the same history with Wrench."

"So, he's trying to thin out the numbers a little bit." Brody sighed. "Alright, nobody goes anywhere alone. We all need to stick together and if he turns up again, don't let pride get in the way, you call in the rest of the team."

Just then, the bell for first period sounded. Mick just held up a hand.

"Redbot and I will take care of Preston." He assured them. "For now, the rest of you have to get to class."

"You'll let us know if…"

"…If anything changes you'll be the first to know, I promise." Mick assured Sarah. "Go. I'll look after Preston."

With that, Sarah and the others reluctantly left the base, while Mick turned his attention back to the fallen Blue Ranger.

"Alright Preston, I've got a little something here for the pain." Mick told him. "Sorry, but right now that's the best I can offer you."


	9. Runaway Princess

Wrench was sitting in Cosmo's office, feeling really rather pleased with himself. He knew better than to assume a Ranger was down and out until they were dead and buried. The only Ranger he had experienced that never bounced back seemingly within minutes was the over-grown buzzard Zenowing. However any time a Ranger had taken a beating and might be hampered even for a little while, had to be a good thing, especially when he was the one that had to face them.

He was casually drawing his axe through his hand, which had angle grinders built into it to sharpen it as he awaited Cosmo's arrival. The flamboyant alien came into the office, his phone glued to his face as usual.

"Yes...yes, that's absolutely fine, of course...yes; I agree your client sounds like just the kind of talent that would be unique on our broadcast." Cosmo told him. "Tell him to pack his broomstick and wait for my shuttle. I'll meet him in my executive lounge to smooth out the finer details."

"Broomstick?" Wrench asked him. Cosmo just rolled his eyes.

"Yes, he really does ride a broomstick." Cosmo answered. "Well, that was quite a show you put on there Wrench. I have to say that I haven't seen a promotional reel like that in quite some time!"

"That's what you get when your talent understands good production." Wrench said smugly.

"It was a little light of course." Cosmo continued. "I mean, what we had was fantastic, but could you have imagined the drama, the intensity if we had a nice, juicy shot of the Pink Ranger weeping over the corpse of her little friend screaming for vengeance?"

"I did my best, the others showed up!" Wrench protested. "You don't need to worry; he's not likely to be up and about any time soon, my battle systems saw to that."

"Ah, yes, those battle systems I paid for! They truly were something to behold!" Cosmo said as he settled back into his chair, looking to Wrench. "The only question is, how exactly do you top that?"

"Oh, I have a final attack that even you haven't seen yet." Wrench told him. "Unfortunately it's something that doesn't really work well for a close up shot."

"Really?" Cosmo said, becoming intrigued. "Tell me more!"

"Well, you remember what happened to Eltar a few years ago?" Wrench asked him. Cosmo nodded. "Let's just say that if things aren't going my way, a few million more species are going to be joining the Eltarians in extinction."

"Well then." Cosmo said with a wicked smile. "Roll on Friday!"

At the scene of the battle, Jeremy and Spike were sifting through some of the wreckage. Spike was humming a little tune as he swept debris to the designated area for the CSI crew to sift through and see if there was anything they needed to know about. Jeremy was sitting on the curb, wearing a pair of gloves as he looked through pieces to separate out for further analysis.

"You are entirely too cheerful Skullovitch." Jeremy said as he looked to a piece of plastic, ascertaining it was likely part of a head light and tossing it into the appropriate pile.

"What can I say, the process always fascinates me." Spike said with a smile. "Just imagine, somewhere in among all this tiny stuff could be something really amazing that completely changes a whole case! I got pretty good scores in evidence handling, I actually considered going the CSI route."

"What case Skullovitch?" Jeremy asked. "There was a fight here and the monster blasted the car into a wall. That is pretty self-explanatory."

"Yeah...but who was the guy? Why did he disappear?" Spike asked him.

"Spike, you lived in Panorama, your parents grew up in Angel Grove. You should know better than anyone that when people see a monster that looks like a garage sale threw up they run like hell and leave everything behind." Jeremy answered him as he picked up something, dusting it off. "Hell, about forty percent of all the reports we get after a Ranger battle are people reporting all the stuff that went missing when they ran away."

"People nick stuff from monster battles?" Spike asked him.

"Why go to the bother of breaking into a car if the owner is kind enough to run off and leave the keys in the ignition?" Jeremy asked him, handing the item in his hand over to one of the techs. "I think this is the last piece of the licence plate."

"Wow, I didn't know people would be willing to risk their lives for an easy score." Spike said with a furrowed brow. Jeremy just shrugged.

"Yeah, it'd be nice if the Rangers could at least try and take their little throw downs away from public areas wouldn't it?"

Spike felt a little uncomfortable hearing this. Although he liked Jeremy, one thing they seemed to disagree on was how much good the Rangers were doing in the city. He had spent a fair amount of his youth in Panorama City, and thanks to a twist of fate, he had even served a one-night-only stint as the Black Megaforce Ranger during the final battle against The Armada.

His step-mother Kimberly was a Ranger legend, and so he had met and known a couple of Rangers in his time. He always did view them as heroes, though from his perspective it wasn't just from collecting news clippings or merchandise, he had seen the actual people behind the helmets on occasion and knew that there were real people behind those visors. They weren't always the kind of people anyone would expect to be superheroes, most were just ordinary people thrown into extraordinary circumstances that stepped up when the chips were down. To Jeremy though, there was also another side.

He saw mainly the fallout from the battles. The casualties, the damage, the destruction and, apparently, the theft that went along with the major battles which raged in the city streets on a weekly basis. He saw the officers and friends who reported on things they found only to have their reports either redacted or outright thrown into paper shredders due to oversight higher up the chain than his pay-grade even allowed him to see. He had seen friends quit the force in frustration or even being fired if they questioned too closely into certain aspects of incidents that had happened. In his first week alone Spike had seen his first real encounter with the Rangers being swept under the rug and sealed by NASADA because it involved the wreckage of an alien space craft.

He could understand why Jeremy felt a little like the Rangers made an incredible mess then ran off and left everyone else to clean it up, but since he knew some of those Rangers, he was a little hesitant to speak too deeply. Jeremy watched as the CSI put the piece of the licence plate with the others.

"I think I have enough here to get a partial plate." The CSI told them. Jeremy went and looked to the partial plate as the CSI entered it into a tablet connected to the National Database. "Well, this car's a wreck."

"You needed the National Database to tell you that?" Jeremy asked. Spike let out a high-pitched, grunting laugh that just caused Jeremy to flinch. "Skullovitch, seriously, do me a favour and never do that again."

"But that's how I laugh." Spike told him. The CSI just sighed.

"No, I mean it's a wreck. The National Database shows this car as being written off in a nine car pile-up in Silver Hills eight years ago. The owner, a ninety year old woman, died at the scene." The CSI answered. "Also, it was a blue Lincoln then. Now it's a red Cortina."

Jeremy just sighed and face-palmed as Spike looked to him smugly.

"Also, we found this Beretta in the wreckage." He informed him. "It's unlicensed and has the serial number filed off."

"So, an untraceable car and an untraceable car?" Spike asked. "It's almost like you could say the little things you found here changed..."

"Skullovitch, gloating really isn't becoming." Jeremy sighed, pulling out his radio. "Dispatch, this is officer 1993, put out an APB to all local hospitals. We want to speak to anyone showing up with injuries consistent with a RTA." He looked to the CSI.

"Check the weapon and the car, if you get anything that can get us an ID..."

"You'll be the first to know." The CSI assured him as Jeremy headed for his patrol car, Spike trailing only a short way behind.

At the school, Viera couldn't help watching Sarah and seeing the way she spent the whole time in her lessons watching the clock and drumming her feet and her pen. She was normally the model student, attentive and alert, but with Preston in the base getting treated, to say she was distracted was an understatement. She had already completely ignored a couple of questions and those she had answered...well...it ranged between talking for several minutes about the moral tale of The Great Gatsby before being reminded that they were in fact discussing Catcher In The Rye to declaring in Chemistry that the atomic weight of Carbon was 632. The word 'off-day' was being re-defined to the point the teachers had stopped trying to get Sarah to participate in the classes.

She couldn't blame her. Even without knowing that Sarah and Preston were in the early stages of dating, Viera could only think of Sel and his family. She could only think of those that had thrown themselves into the firing line to get her free so that she could come here to Earth and be safe. While the Rangers had promised they would ask if anyone could help her, so far there wasn't really much anyone could guarantee or commit to. As the bell rang, Sarah snatched up her things and sprinted out of the classroom so quickly that she sent her desk and her chair flying and scattered most of her belongings in her wake to get back to the base quickly. Hayley and the others made their apologies for her and straightened things out, collecting the rest of her things while the rest of the kids filed out, heading for lunch.

Viera could only think for a moment about that. All those kids, just trotting off to lunch, the biggest issue on their minds whether or not they would brave the mystery meat or if they'd get there before all the hot dogs were gone. She couldn't help thinking that was likely how it was in the Lion Galaxy when news of her escape broke. There would be some that were happy to see the 'weak' and 'embarrassing' Queen gone, there were others disappointed there would be no public example made of her. Some would be overjoyed to hear of the death of the traitors that freed her. For the most part however, she imagined that just like always, for most people, they would simply not care enough to feel any way about it at all. For many, they'd just go to work, buy groceries, see their children off to school and otherwise get on with their lives, completely oblivious and uncaring to the fact that an entire family had been wiped out in their effort to save her.

"Viera?" She heard someone ask. It was only then that she noticed that in their hurry to check on Sarah, the other Rangers had rushed out and forgotten to take her with them. She saw Monty standing a little way off and figured he was the one that had spoken. "The lunch bell has gone."

"Oh...right." She answered, looking a little shell-shocked. She started to gather her things together as Monty approached her.

"Are you alright?" He asked her.

"I...I'm..." She started to stammer. "I was just thinking about...I really shouldn't say."

"You know, the mystery meat day is never any good in the canteen." He told her, pulling out his lunch box. "You want to be somewhere a little quieter?"

"I...I think I'd like that." She replied as Monty pulled up a chair to the opposite side of her table. He started to lay out his lunch before her. "Hey, you changed your clothes."

"Yeah, apparently some of my constituents like the way I was before." Monty replied. "So, sardines and mayonnaise or spiced tuna?"

"Whatever you think I'd like I'm sure would be fine." She replied.

The Rangers arrived in the Ranger Base, finding Preston lying on the table. He was now awake, but by the looks of things he wasn't sure that was a good thing. Redbot was checking his vitals.

"Preston, you must remain still." Redbot told him. "I can't get an accurate reading if you keep fidgeting!"

"That's easy for you to say Redbot, you don't have nerve endings. You don't feel pain." Preston complained. "This bench really is not comfortable!"

"Don't worry Preston; I have a little something for the pain." Mick told him. "You'll get it once Redbot completes his analysis."

Sarah came across, grabbing Preston tightly in a hug, before pulling away and kissing him repeatedly on the cheek. She pulled away from him, wishing that her friends would allow her to take his pain away.

"Ow...ow...tender!" Preston reminded her. "But...kind of worth it."

"How is he?" Hayley asked them. Mick looked to them.

"Oh, he'll be fine no doubt, but...he's definitely not going to be running any marathons for the rest of the day." Mick told them. "The Ninja Steel is doing its thing, but for the rest of the day at least he's definitely on the bench. If he knows what's good for him probably the rest of the week."

"But Wrench is coming back FRIDAY!" Calvin reminded them.

"Then we do without him." Brody declared.

"Brody!" Sarah screeched.

"If we need him he'll come I'm sure of it!" Brody told them. "But there's not much point in Preston taking any more risks than he has to."

"I'm lying right here!" Preston reminded him. Brody just smiled.

"Yeah, you're right, I'm sorry Preston." Brody said, holding his hand up for a high-five. Preston obliged, but as soon as he did so, his face went incredibly pale as an intense pain ran the entire length of his body. It felt like a thousand flaming knives stabbing into him all at once. Brody just eased him down onto the table. "Yeah, that's what I thought. A little more rest I think."

"In the meantime, the rest of us just need to make sure we don't go anywhere alone." Calvin reminded them. "I was heading to Hayley's to do our history project, so we've got our plans set."

"I can take Preston home." Brody told them. "Sarah?"

"I'll give her a ride." Levi replied. "I'm heading to Tom's office anyway."

"Wait...where's Viera?" Calvin asked. Everyone looked around, and suddenly realised that she wasn't with them.

"You left her?" Hayley said to Brody.

"Hey, I thought she was with you!" He protested.

"How about instead of arguing where she's supposed to be, we go and find out where she IS?" Sarah suggested. With that, they all hurried from the base in search of their runaway Princess.

Back in the classroom, Monty and Viera were enjoying their lunch, while Monty relayed a story to her. He couldn't deny the fact he was delighted to finally get a chance to speak to her alone. He had been in awe of Viera from the first moment he had seen her back at the fun run.

"So, when I finally managed to pull myself out of the lake, Victor was there and he just said 'Monty, I just suggested you clean off your shoes before you get into the car, not take a bath!'." He concluded, laughing as he grunted a little. Viera spluttered on her food, and her mouth was tugged upwards, imagining Monty looking like a drowned rat as he stood on the banks of the lake, before finally letting out a screeching laugh.

She laughed for a good while, too long, before suddenly she noticed the scratches still on her arms, and suddenly stopped. She felt cold, and immediately looked uncomfortable. Monty noticed the sudden shift in her mood.

"What?" He asked her. "What's wrong?"

"This?" She asked him.

"Having lunch?" He asked her.

"No...this." She said, gesturing around. "This, the laughing, the..."

"Wait, laughing is wrong now?" Monty asked her.

"It is for me!" She rushed out. Monty just looked to her sympathetically as he could see her becoming more and more upset. He took her hand in his own.

"What are you talking about?" He asked her.

"What right do I have to be here, laughing and having a good time and...?" She started to tail off. She could see that Monty was completely confused. "I was involved in something...something bad back home."

"An accident?" He asked her. He couldn't help noticing her injuries, but he hadn't wanted to ask her about them.

"You could say it was something like that." She answered. "I got out alive, but there were people, good people...they weren't so lucky."

"I'm really sorry to hear that." He replied sympathetically.

"They gave so much for me; they died just for me to get here and...and here I am laughing and smiling like what they did meant nothing!" She sobbed as she fell forward onto the table. Monty uneasily reached out for her, touching her hair softly as she cried. "They died all because of me, and for what?"

"So that you can have a life." Monty told her. Viera just looked up at him. "My uncle was a fireman for a long time. When he retired they had this party where a bunch of the people he saved all got to come and say thank you to him, but there was this one guy he was hoping to see that wasn't there. It was a kid that had been playing with matches in his tree house and got trapped. My uncle saved him in one of his first calls."

Viera just looked to him as he took a breath.

"My uncle really wanted to know what happened to him so he looked him up. When he found him, he found the guy in his thirties and working in a Subway store." Monty told him. "So he introduced himself and asked why he didn't come. The guy told him that when he got the invite he felt too ashamed to go. He felt like my uncle had risked his life to save him, but because he didn't go on and have some big massive career or end up a senator or a scientist or something that he'd somehow failed my uncle and the second chance he gave him. Do you know what my uncle told him?"

Viera just shook her head.

"He didn't risk his life for him to have some kind of super amazing, important and wonderful life. He just did it so he could HAVE a life." Monty told her. "I don't know what happened to you, but those people that saved you...maybe one of the best ways you can honour them is to have a good life, a happy life. I'm sure that's what they probably wanted for you."

Viera leaned forward and kissed Monty softly on the cheek, at which his mouth just hung open and he lost all track of what was going on. Calvin opened the door, finding them inside.

"Guys, over here, I've found her!" Calvin called out. The others came in, and Sarah came to Viera's side.

"Viera, we've been looking all over for you!" She told her. "Thanks for finding her Monty."

Monty just kind of let out an unintelligible sigh as the team left the room, leaving him in a wonderful dream world he only left when the next class came in several minutes later.


	10. Wrenching It Up A Notch

It was coming to the end of the day, and Trevor and Spike had gone back to the precinct to clear up a few things before they went off shift. It wasn't uncommon for cops to head back head straight home after their shift, but there was something that Trevor really wanted to clear up before he went home.

Ellie was at her desk, holding the phone between her ear and her shoulder as he got there. She had a huge pile of folders on her desk, and she was in the middle of what looked like a rather heated exchange.

"The address and the time are on the summons, you're perfectly welcome to contest the ticket then but I really can't…" She looked a little annoyed as she heard his response. "That may well be sir, but the ticket is a summons of the court, it's nothing to do with the precinct now. Since it's been processed you need to…I hardly think that's a nice thing to…well you know what sir? I go past that restaurant all the time and I know for a fact that red zone is clearly marked! Now if you want to contest the ticket, you need to go to the court and present your case, but since that red zone covers a fire exit I really do wish you luck with that!"

She put the phone down at which Trevor just started laughing.

"Way to tell him Ellie." He chuckled.

"I don't know why it's such a difficult concept to understand. If you don't want a parking ticket, park in a parking bay!" She stated. "There's tons of parking just around the back of that place, but God forbid he'd have to walk an extra twenty feet."

"Well, I can see you're busy, so I guess I'll come back tomorrow…"

"What makes you say I'm busy?" She asked.

"Well, by the looks of this in pile…"

"Actually, that would be my out pile." Ellie told him, putting another file on the top.

"That's your OUT pile?" Spike screeched.

"Yeah, I switched the trays around." She explained. "I'm left-handed so it made sense to me. It feels natural to reach to the left."

"How in the HELL did you manage to do all that in one day?" Trevor asked her.

"Oh…did I do something wrong?" She asked him.

"Only if you consider doing in one day what most of our civilian workers do in a week wrong!" He replied, looking impressed. She just shrugged.

"It's just a simple matter of being organised." She told him. "So, are you heading home?"

"Actually, I was hoping you could get a file for me." He told her. "I was looking for the forensics report from the Ranger battle this morning."

"Ranger battle?" Ellie asked. "There was a Ranger Battle?"

"Yeah, just a short way from the school." Spike told her. "Just on West Fleetwood…"

"Oh my God, Sarah uses that route!" She screeched. "Is she alright? Was she…?"

"Ellie, if Sarah was involved you'd have been the first to know. I wouldn't have let anyone do anything before we called you." Trevor told her. "No, there was a car hit in the attack."

"Hmm…let me check." Ellie told him, checking the computer. "There's nothing about a violent incident or attack on that street since 1973…"

"Try looking under RTA." Trevor groaned, rolling his eyes. An RTA was an acronym for Road Traffic Accident. What happened to the car on that street was in no way an accident, but he was more than a little used to seeing things re-classified or re-named in order to avoid mentions of monster attacks.

"Oh, there is one here…the report isn't complete yet, there are some unidentified prints and fibres in the car…and the gun?" She looked to him. "There was a gun?"

"An unregistered gun with the serial number filed off." Spike told her.

"You think this guy was up to something?" Ellie asked him.

"There aren't many good reasons someone is driving around in a burner car with an untraceable gun and runs off from a car wreck which would probably require hospital treatment." Trevor told him. "Of course, thanks to the Rangers, the odds are we'll never know what they were up to."

"Wait, you're blaming the Rangers for this?" Spike asked him. "The guy was clearly planning something bad, sure it might be by accident, but if it wasn't for this, we might not have even known we were looking for anyone before…"

"This city's administration already classified this as an accident to keep their monster attack statistics down." Trevor snapped. "You said there were prints, fibres. Please tell me we're running the works on them."

"They're being run, but so far no hits." Ellie replied. "That means it's someone with no convictions."

"It takes resources to get a hold of stuff like that off the grid." Trevor told her. "I sincerely doubt this guy hasn't had any run-ins with the law."

"Well until we get a hit on the database…"

"You have my number." Trevor told her. "Make sure I know the second they know something. If this guy was planning something bad I want to be on his ass as quickly as possible."

"Sure thing." She told him.

"Alright, then I guess I get to go home." Trevor answered. "So, what about it Kulonic, you want to come to our place? Hayley's bringing her boyfriend over and Julie always makes way too much."

"Thanks, but I've got something on." He told him. "Tonight's my Skype night with my girlfriend. She goes to Florida State, so we have to arrange times to video chat."

"Another time then." He said with a smile. "Are you ready Ellie?"

"A ride to AND from work?" She replied with a smile as she gathered her things. "What did I do to deserve this?"

At the end of the school day, everyone was getting ready to go home. Levi had offered to give Preston a ride so that he wouldn't have to try and make his way home in his injured state. They only had to wait until the other kids left to make sure no one saw him leaving and questioned why he hadn't been to class if he was in the building. Hayley had tennis practice, and since Calvin was giving her a ride home he didn't have much option but to wait for her while she worked on the courts.

Sarah and Brody were in the yard taking some time to train. She wanted to take advantage of the time she was waiting for her ride. Brody had his truck, and would happily take her to her place, but first she needed to work off some aggression.

Wrench was an irritating part of her past that just wouldn't go away. Back when she helped out the Amber Beach team in the lab, he was something of a running joke. He was Sledge's chief scientist and weapons specialist, but thanks to the brutish bounty hunter's thrifty nature and unwillingness to spend on any resources Wrench was operation on technology that while advanced, never really progressed beyond what Sledge was willing to pay for. Wrench had found himself thwarted time and again by Kendall's superior advancements and quick thinking to a point of frustration for him. He had something of a vendetta against her that was so one-sided that Kendall had even taunted him over the fact he lost a game only he was playing the first time she morphed. With Sledge, Fury and Poisandra dead Sledge's remaining prisoners had taken control of his ship and left the Galaxy of their own accord. Whether it was to try and find their way home or find themselves somewhere else to live the Rangers never really knew, but with no real means to pursue and no real reason to they had just assumed anyone that wasn't destroyed had just packed up and left once Sledge was gone.

To say it was a surprise to see Wrench again would be an understatement. Sarah didn't know he had defected from Sledge's crew and gotten the job on the Warrior Dome before the final battle. She had since learned that he was the one that helped Mick and Brody orchestrate their escape, so in a roundabout way he was the one that led to them becoming Rangers in the first place, but it seemed that he had take it upon himself to shift the focus of his vendetta onto Sarah. He was now in a ranking position in Cosmo's crew and now it was his responsibility to deliver a good show, it seemed his past with Sarah was just a storyline that would make a match more compelling. Sarah wouldn't care if it wasn't for the fact that Preston had gotten hurt.

Sarah wanted to be ready the next time Wrench showed up. All she could think about during the bout was seeing Preston lying unmoving on the ground. She was too busy fighting for her life to be able to check on him, but when she saw him lying on the ground, for a moment, she'd thought the worst. She didn't know if she had seen him smile for the last time, heard him laugh, felt his arms around her all for the last time.

"Whoa!" Brody called out as she swept his legs out from under him, hitting the ground. He looked up to her, seeing her standing over him and smiled. "You do know I'm not him, right?"

"Sorry?" She asked. Brody kipped up back to his feet.

"Wrench." He clarified, rubbing the back of his thigh, where Sarah had kicked him with such force she had whipped his legs completely out from under him. "I'm not Wrench."

"Oh…right…sorry." She replied as she sat down.

"You know, your training is really coming along nicely." He complimented her. "The way you were sparring just there was pretty amazing. I think if you were at the academy they'd be checking to see what discipline you wanted to follow."

"I think you might be over-selling it a little bit." Sarah replied.

"No, I'm serious, you and the others you're really doing great." He reiterated.

"Then why was be bouncing us around the place like a hacky sack?" She asked him in response. "Brody, I'm super focused today I admit that, but don't you also think that maybe you're a little distracted?"

"Distracted?" He asked her. Sarah tapped herself in the chest.

"Empathetic remember?" She replied. "Even if you won't let me heal my boyfriend, I can still see when your mind isn't completely on the job. I might be improving but there's no way I should be able to take you down five times to two."

"It's just not my day." Brody protested. Sarah just glared at him. "Alright, maybe my mind's on something else."

"Well, if something's bothering you maybe you should talk to someone about it." Sarah suggested. Brody looked like he was about to answer when they heard someone coming into the yard. They both looked up to see Tom coming in.

"So, this is where all the magic happens?" He asked, looking at the training equipment they had assembled in the yard.

"I guess you could say that." Brody replied. "Levi's taking Preston home…"

"Yeah, I know he texted me." Tom answered. "It was you I wanted to see actually."

"Me?" Brody asked. Tom took off his Stetson and started to shuffle his feet.

"Yeah, I was…um…" He stammered. "Do you like hot dogs?"

"I…guess I could go for something to eat." Brody answered. Tom looked to them both.

"I could drop your friend on the way." He told them. "I'll wait while you wash up."

"We'll just be a few minutes." Sarah assured him, before they started to get their things together and headed for the showers.

Trevor pulled up outside the Thompson house, allowing Ellie to get out of the car. Ellie turned to look back in the window.

"Thanks for the ride." She told him. "I really appreciate it."

"Well, what can I say? I always try to be nice to the new starts." He told her. "We're all the new guy one time in our lives, right?"

"So why do you give that rookie of yours such a hard time?" She replied.

"I…I don't know, the kid just seems to rub me the wrong way." He admitted. "He's good, but I kind of feel like he's out to save the world or something in his first week."

"Is trying to save the world such a bad thing?" She asked him.

"Not as long as you learn how to do it properly." He told her. "I've seen a lot of rookies over the years that thought they were going to revolutionise the force single-handed in their first week on the job. More than half of them were gone the first time they got a negative evaluation."

"Do you mind if I ask what that thing was about the Rangers?" She asked him. "I couldn't help noticing things were a little tense around the subject between you and the kid."

"Kulonic just has some kind of Ranger hard-on." He snorted. "Don't get me wrong, I've seen all the stuff the do, all the flashy explosions and giant robots and a part of me thinks of all those comic books I read as a kid. I can see why everyone gets so excited about them."

"Well, they do a lot of good in the world…"

"And I have no problem with that! Except they get to hide behind masks and run around with absolutely no consequences for their actions!" Trevor answered. "I've seen guys pulled up on report for just saying the wrong thing. The Rangers have blown up whole city blocks and there isn't so much as a word said about it because we usually don't know who they are!"

"The Corsairs had their identities revealed to the public." She reminded him.

"Yes, then they got a Presidential pardon!" He reminded her. "By a President who…oh, just so happened to be a Ranger himself! Talk about a conflict of interests!"

"Look, I get it, a lot of bad things happen in Ranger cities. You're talking to someone who's now lived in three Ranger cities." She told him. "I've lived in Panorama, Amber Beach and now Summer Cove. In Amber Beach I was in a bus that was blasted by one of the monsters in the Dino Rangers battles. I was in a hospital for months, but the only reason I'm still here is because of the Pink Dino Ranger. Now, I don't know who she is and frankly the only reason I'd even care is to give her the biggest hug I possibly can and thank her for the fact I'm still alive."

"Yeah, Spike is a bit of a groupie." He sighed. "He told me he was in Panorama too."

"Wait, Kulonic, his name first name is Spike?" She asked, thinking back. "I…No…no wait, it can't be…I thought his name sounded familiar!"

"You know him?" Trevor asked.

"Not personally, but everyone in Panorama heard his name. He was the kid that helped end the Central High School Siege." She said. "I just thanked God every day that Sarah wasn't in High School when that happened."

"Kulonic?" He asked. "He broke an armed siege? In HIGH SCHOOL?"

"Yeah, it was huge news in Panorama at the time." She replied. "What a small world. I guess you never know what people are really capable of just by looking at them huh?"

"And on that rather heavy-handed take, I think I'll head for home." He told her. "Julie's lamb shank is pretty much the stuff of legend."

As he pulled away and Ellie headed inside, the stranger was standing across the street, watching them. He took a note of when she got back to the house, before pulling out his cell phone.

"It's me." He told the man on the other end.

"I thought I told you not to call again until…"

"When will you have my care package?" He asked. "I just confirmed the window of opportunity."

"The car should be in the parking lot of your motel by the time you get back." The man on the other end stated. "The keys will be in your room."

"Thank you." The Stranger said, before hanging up and limping down the street, heading back for his motel room.

Elsewhere in the city, Brody was sitting at a picnic table, drumming his fingers on the table as he waited for Tom to come from the snack truck. He was starting to regret accepting the invitation, he really didn't know what if anything they really had to talk about, as far as he knew he and Tom had pretty much nothing in common. He was old…well, a lot older than Brody anyway. Not quite as old as hid dad would have been, but certainly he seemed to have a vibe about him that was more in line with the parents he had known than the kids. He was a cowboy, while Brody was a ninja. It was pretty much as far apart as he could imagine any two people being. He looked up as Tom arrived back, carrying a couple of hot dogs…or at least he ASSUMED they were hot dogs!

They were two whole baguette rolls, with a foot-long wiener somewhere inside that Tom had told him weighed half a pound. Of course, it was difficult to tell under the mountain of other toppings. Coleslaw, sauerkraut, cheese, chilli…the two massive rolls looked more like they were suited to feeding a family than two people. He also had a couple of large sodas.

"This place is just the best. I mean…other than a home barbecue but nothing's better than that, am I right?" Tom asked him. Brody just shrugged as he took a bite.

"It is pretty good." Brody said. Tom took a little sip from his soda.

"So, that breakfast didn't go quite as planned did it?" Tom asked him. Brody just looked to him.

"Tom…"

"Look, I get it. We're different." Tom interrupted him. "I…genuinely have no idea what any of this ninja stuff is or what any of it means. I took like one week of karate at the local Y before I kicked it into touch. I was always more of a football man."

"I never watched football." Brody replied. "You know…prisoner on a space ship full of psychotic gladiators."

"You've never been to a football game?" Tom asked. "You don't know what you're missing! I could get us some tickets to a game and…"

Tom could see the expression on Brody's face and just looked a little dejected.

"…and you don't care about football at all do you?" He asked. "Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe…"

"Tom, stop!" Brody stated. "Look, I appreciate you trying. I really do."

"Look, I know I wasn't the friendliest guy in the world when we first met, and the less said about that plagiarism thing the better." Tom stated. "Look, there's this whole history between you and Aiden…I mean Levi, wow that is still so weird to hear…that I'll never know and be a part of. I know he was your brother before he even met me. I really am happy the two of you found each other. I just…I guess I was just a little worried I wouldn't be a part of his life now."

"Not a part of…are you kidding?" Brody asked him. "Levi's been Levi a hell of a lot longer than he's been Aiden. I was worried I would be left out!"

"You were worried about me?" Tom asked.

"Yeah, he's been your brother almost twice as long as he's been mine." Brody told him. "I guess…I guess I was always worried if he was even still Aiden at all. I was always worried that maybe I wouldn't have a place."

"You know, I remember this one time when we were kids, it was about a month after my dad adopted Levi." Tom said with a smile. "I got up and noticed that Aiden wasn't in his bed, but he wasn't in the bathroom and the window was open so I went looking for him. I wondered if maybe he had run away."

He took a bit of his hotdog, which he then washed down with some soda.

"I found him on the lake out the back of the farm." He told him. "Not by the lake, but ON it. Like…literally walking on water, like something straight out of my Sunday School class. I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Needless to say, for a kid from Texas who spent every Sunday in church finding some kid with no past and no family who literally walked on water was…kind of a thing."

"Levi never told me about that." Brody replied. "I guess that's one of the things he doesn't remember."

"He never told you because I never told him I saw it." Tom replied. "I know all the things that went through my head when I saw it, so you just know I was aware of what would happen if the rest of the town found out. So, I kept it to myself. I never even told Levi because I was worried what might happen if they knew what he could do."

"Wow, that is…you really kept that to yourself all those years?" Brody asked. Tom just nodded. "Thank you."

"He was my brother." Tom replied with a shrug.

"Then I guess we do have something in common after all." Brody replied. Just then, there was an explosion and people started screaming and running. Brody and Tom got up from the table, seeing Wrench approaching.

"A Ranger all alone, what an opportunity!" Wrench stated.

"You hurt my friend!" Brody snapped. "I'm not going to let you get away with that! Ninja…"

"LOOK OUT!" Tom screamed, shoving Brody to the ground as he saw the cavity in Wrench's chest opening up and the twin Gatling lasers coming out. Brody could only watch as he opened fire and Tom took the full brunt of it full-on.

"TOM!" Brody called out as he watched him fall to the ground, and looked into Tom's lifeless, glassy eyes. Brody snapped up to his feet and slammed his Power Star into his Morphed. "NINJA SPIN!"


	11. The Stranger Revealed

Sarah was in her garage, with her hoverboard once more stripped down virtually to the individual screws. She was trying her best to keep busy while they waited for Wrench to come back. She knew she wouldn't have to wait long, Cosmo's broadcast went out on a Friday, and so she had only a little over a day to wait.

She was trying to occupy her mind and keep herself from having too much time to think about the fact Preston was out of action. One of the disadvantages of having such an active mind was that it was able to think of more than a few things at the same time, so simple distraction rarely worked as well as she'd have liked. Staring once more at the components she was considering what else she could do to the board to maximise the efficiency and make it work longer with more than just her on it. She had only ever designed it to carry her, she never really thought much about carrying someone else as well.

She didn't even notice as Ellie came into the garage.

"Have you considered switching out the battery?" She asked. Sarah just sighed.

"It's a custom battery I built myself. It's not like I can run down to the local radio shack to get another bigger one." Sarah sighed dejectedly as she put it aside. "Without building a brand new one from scratch, I really want to try everything I can to maximise the efficiency."

"Well, there's something I wanted to talk to you about." Ellie said, pulling up a stool. "You know Hayley's step-dad Trevor?"

"The cop? I met him briefly in the park." She answered. "Why?"

"Well, he's been partnered up with a probationary officer that he's showing the ropes to." Ellie said as she tried to broach the subject.

"Yeah, I remember hearing, his name sounded familiar…"

"It's Spike Skullovitch." Ellie told her daughter. Sarah took a moment to try and think about the name, before the penny dropped.

"The kid from…?"

"Yes, it seems that's the case." Ellie interrupted her. "I just wanted to make sure you knew because, well, you know what happened. And more importantly…you know what it did to your dad."

Sarah just nodded in understanding. After news broke of the fraud scandal, some of the victims sought to seek out reparations of their own. Since Al's name had been sealed by the courts as part of his plea deal, they had targeted his partner Jerry…or more accurately Jerry's daughter Melanie who was a student at the local High School. Spike had been a hero, negotiating with the hostage takers and trying to talk everyone down, but by the time the siege was over, one of the hostage takers, an eighteen-year-old kid, had been shot and killed by a police sniper. The guilt over knowing a kid was dead in the wake of his actions had sent Al into a tailspin that took a long time and a twelve-step programme to overcome. It was the lowest point in his life, and one that they were sure he didn't need a permanent reminder of.

"I just wanted you to know because…your dad doesn't, and it might be for the best it stays that way." Ellie replied.

"I understand mom." Sarah said as she hugged her.

"I know you don't like keeping things from your dad, I don't either but this is probably something it's best he doesn't know." She stated. "Hey, you want to see if a second pair of eyes on this can…"

Just then, Sarah's Ninja-Comm bleeped. She looked to her mom and tried to think of something to say.

"That's uh…Hayley!" She replied. "She said she'd send me a message when she got something for a project we're doing at school. I…I should probably be going."

"Can't you wait until tomorrow? You haven't even had dinner yet!" Ellie protested.

"I…I'll get something on the go." Sarah told her. "I'll be back later!"

As Sarah ran out, Ellie just sighed and looked to the parts on the work bench.

"That girl of mine, always rushing around, never taking any time to stop and eat." She sighed. "Maybe I should make something to help with that…some kind of snack machine."

With that, she grabbed a nearby pad and pen and started jotting down ideas.

Over at the food truck, Brody was fighting for all he was worth just to keep pace with Wrench. He seemed to have a counter for virtually everything and anything Brody could throw at him. His shiny, chromed body wasn't just a questionable style choice, but it was a reflective coating that deflected blaster fire. Brody's spin-sword rebounded off his armour as Wrench closed in on him. Brody took a hard shot to the face and was sent spinning away from him, landing some way off.

"I've studied all your battles Red Ranger, there's nothing you can throw at me I've not seen and can't come up with a counter for!" He taunted him. "I think that helmet of yours will be a great trophy…I might not even take your head out of it before I take it!"

"Ninja Element Star, Steel Chains!" Brody called out, casting chains his way. Wrench found himself wrapped in chains within moments, but as Brody came running for him, he just broke the chains dismissively, before powering up an energy wave in his ace blade, casting it forth. Brody didn't have time to avoid the blow, which smashed him straight through the hot dog truck. Brody de-morphed as he finally came to a stop. Wrench started to advance on him, missile housings opening up in his shoulders.

"So much for the mighty Red Ranger. I honestly don't know how Rincon made it look so hard." He taunted him. "Now, here's the question, do I want to finish you with the axe, or really get messy and just use my bare hands? Then again, why mess up my nice, shiny coat?"

He fired off the missiles, which were heading straight for the defenceless Red Ranger. They arced high into the air, coming down, before the Yellow and Gold Rangers rushed into the way, blasting as many of them down as they could. Unfortunately, they didn't get all of them, and ended up shielding Brody from the rest of them with their bodies.

"Oh, look who finally got here!" Wrench laughed as he saw Hayley and Sarah arriving on the scene. "I think I've done enough damage for now. See you around!"

With that, he teleported away. The Rangers all gathered around Brody, who was only just coming to.

"Brody, are you alright?" Calvin asked.

"Tom!" Brody rushed out, pointing to where Tom was lying on the ground. Levi and Sarah rushed over quickly, clamouring over him.

"Tom? Tom, can you hear me?" Levi asked. "TOM!"

"He's…he's in a really bad way." Sarah said, checking over him.

"I'm calling an ambulance." Levi told her.

"I don't think he's going to make it that long." Sarah told him. She placed her hands on Tom's chest, at which they started to glow. She only held on for a second, it was as long as she could, but as Tom's breathing started to even out a lot more, she threw herself out to the side and started coughing up blood.

"For the record, I do NOT recommend that." She spluttered, grabbing her sides.

"Sarah, thank you!" Levi gasped as he grabbed her in a tight hug. "Hello, 911? I'm in the park by the old foundry, there's a man here who's been badly hurt! We need an ambulance right away!"

"Sarah, that was a huge risk…"

"It was my risk to take." She interrupted Hayley as the White Ranger helped her up. "I only held on for a second…"

"That's probably just as well." Levi answered. "Brody's not looking so good either."

"Do you think…?"

"I think they're both going to the hospital." Levi put down flatly. "No offence to Mick, but this looks…"

"No, we get it, we really do." Calvin answered. "We'll hang around until the ambulance comes."

"Tom, are you alright?" Levi asked him. Tom just gestured to Brody.

"Brody." He said in a laboured breath. "Where's Brody?"

"He's right over here." Levi told him. Tom felt around with his hand, before finally finding Brody's, gripping it tightly in his own.

The following morning, over at the Thompson House, Sarah was getting ready for school. Unfortunately to make sure no one got too suspicious, the others had to go home, but Levi had kept in contact with them to make sure they were updated on Tom and Brody's conditions as much as possible.

Sarah managed to force down some breakfast as she got ready for school. Her healing factor hadn't quite caught up with the injuries yet, and after taking on as much of Tom's injuries as she dared risk, she was pretty confident that her actions had been the difference between life and death for him. She definitely felt like she could do with a personal day, but unfortunately with one, possibly two Rangers on the injured reserve list, it wasn't as though she could risk taking some down time.

"So, how are things down at the precinct?" Al asked as Ellie took a sip of her coffee.

"Oh, things are great." She told him. "When I'm not getting yelled at by people who think parking tickets are optional, I'm apparently outperforming people half my age at basic office procedures."

"Is it really that bad?" Al asked her. She just shrugged.

"It's not the worst job I've ever had." She answered. "But let's put it this way, I'm glad it's only three days a week."

"Don't rub it in." Sarah sighed as she finished up her breakfast and got of the stool, trying to make sure she didn't let on it felt like her insides had been used as a punching bag by a heavyweight boxer. "I guess I need to be going now since I never got around to rebuilding my board. Unless…"

"You're not getting the car Sarah." Al put down bluntly.

"But dad!"

"Hey, I need to be mobile, I never know when a client's going to call and need me to come over." Al told her.

"Well, I guess it looks like I'm walking then." She sighed. "Have fun playing with numbers!"

"You know I always do!" Al replied as she left.

"I should be going too." Ellie told him. "The bus will be coming by soon."

As they both left, the stranger watched them. He had parked a little further up the street and was waiting for them to go. He had seen from his observations that after they left, they would be gone most of the day. He just needed to wait a little longer to be sure they weren't coming back before he made his move.

Over at the precinct, Trevor had arrived in the lab. He had come into work straight from home in the hopes of getting the results of the forensics report early. He was surprised to find that Spike was already in the lab.

"Skullovitch?" Trevor asked. "Kid, do you ever go home?"

"I'm still living at the temporary accommodation the department provided." Spike told him with a shrug. "There's not a lot to do there so I came in a little early."

"Trevor is a little early Mr Skullovitch, you on the other hand have already been here a full hour." The lab tech told them. "He seems to show something of an interest in this side of things."

"Yeah, apparently he was considering going this route." Trevor answered. "So, do you have anything for us?"

"I'm afraid not Trevor. It seems whoever was driving that car doesn't appear on the database." He answered.

"You're kidding." Spike stated. "You mean someone with the means to get an untraceable car and gun hasn't committed another crime?"

"Hasn't been CONVICTED of one." Trevor corrected him. "That could mean he's some kind of professional."

"Indeed. I find it hard to believe someone would have an untraceable gun if they don't have a conviction for a violent crime."

"Violent crime?" Spike asked. "Why violent crime?"

"We limited the search to convictions for violent crimes." The lab tech informed him. "I mean, why else would you want a gun?"

"Did you run a search for NON-violent convictions?" Spike asked.

"Isn't it always nice when the rookies come in telling us how to do our jobs?" The lab tech asked. "Alright, I'll humour you. One search through the fingerprint database and…"

The computer buzzed.

"Is…that a hit?" Spike asked.

"That is a hit." He answered, looking up the record. "This is strange, very strange indeed."

"What's strange?" Trevor asked.

"This man's profile definitely doesn't fit what I'd expect from someone who would risk these kinds of charges." The lab tech told them. "He does have a conviction, indeed a prison record too, but it was only a four-year sentence for fraud. Yes, you are a mystery Mr Goodwill."

"Goodwill?" Spike asked, coming over to the computer and checking it. "Oh my God!"

"What? What is it?"

"Jerry Goodwill! He's from Panorama!" Spike screeched. "This picture…does that look like the guy we saw at the grocery store the other day?"

"The guy with the gun?" Trevor asked. "Kind of, yeah."

"So, he's definitely in Panorama." Spike asked. "The question is why?"

Meanwhile, over at the Thompson house, Al was working on his computer when he heard the doorbell. He just checked his schedule.

"OK, I don't have any appointments." He commented. "Alright, I'm coming!"

He made his way towards the door, opening it expecting to find a client waiting for him. Due to the nature of his business and his clients, he did get quite a few drop-ins at odd times of the day.

"Hi, I'm Al Thompson, and welcome to…" He suddenly froze as he saw the man standing on his doorstep. "Jerry?"

"Hi there Al." He commented. "You're looking pretty good."

"Um…you too Jerry." Al said rather awkwardly. "I…didn't know…when did you get out?"

"I've been out about six months now." Jerry stated, looking around. "Nice house. It looks like you really landed on your feet."

"Yeah, things have been…" Al said, feeling really uncomfortable. While he had negotiated a suspended sentence as a result of the breadth and depth of his statement when he turned State's Witness, Jerry had been sent down. "What are you here for?"

Jerry pulled out the gun, pointing it at Al.

"I'm here to collect what I'm owed." He answered coldly.


	12. Old Friends Talk

Al pulled up Jerry's car outside of the motel. Jerry had his gun trained on his old friend the whole way, knowing that he couldn't drive and keep the gun on him at the same time. Al didn't have much choice when Jerry turned up to his house with a gun but to do as he said. He was already wracking his mind trying to imagine what was going to happen and what Jerry's plan ultimately was, but he did know that whatever it was it was unlikely to end well for him. He was, if anything, slightly relieved that Jerry didn't just shoot him in the entrance lobby of his own house. While he didn't think that his family would exactly be jumping for joy if the worst happened, he could only imagine Ellie or Sarah having to come home and see that.

"The room's directly in front of us." Jerry told him, tapping the gun against his shoulders. "And there's twelve really good reasons in here not to try anything."

Al just nodded in understanding as he got out of the car. Jerry did so as well. The gun was no longer on him briefly, but looking around Al really doubted his ability to tackle his old friend or to run. He was never exactly a track and field star in his life, and he wasn't exactly willing to gamble on his ability to become one in less time than it would take Jerry to get a shot off. He went to the door and sighed.

"103?" He asked. "Wasn't that your old house number?"

"Yeah, it's a funny coincidence, get in!" Jerry said impatiently, unlocking the door and shoving Al inside. Once they were in, he closed the door, hanging the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door and putting on the security lock to prevent a well-meaning maid coming in to start cleaning up. Al looked around at the room and the assortment of take-away containers littering the place.

"Nice place." Al stated. "I guess you've had that Do Not Disturb up for a while."

"Sit down." Jerry snapped at him, flicking the gun in the direction of a chair. "SIT DOWN!"

Al was pretty confident that even out here a gunshot going off in a hotel room would likely raise the attention of the authorities, but that didn't really help him. He had a feeling that Jerry wasn't exactly thinking too clearly right now considering the fact he dragged him out of his home at gunpoint in broad daylight. It wasn't exactly the move of a master criminal, and he had a feeling that it was likely the only reason he wasn't spotted and the cops called as soon as it happened was because people that weren't self-employed and running their business from their home actually had things to do during the day. He sat down on the chair, at which Jerry went to his bag, getting out some zip-ties.

"Hands behind your back!" He barked as he approached. Al really didn't want to put himself in the position of being bound. It wasn't likely that Jerry was going to give him much opportunity, but if he did get the chance to try and tackle him or run, he really wanted to be in the position of doing so. Jerry pointed the gun at him. "If you don't, I know where you live. I know where Sarah goes to school. Get your hands behind your BACK!"

Al reluctantly did as he was told. Right about now he was putting his own odds of getting out alive as in the distinctly questionable column, but at least he knew Ellie and Sarah were safe. The last thing he wanted was to give Jerry any reason to change that. Jerry went behind him and bound his hands together, leaving him unable to defend himself. Jerry slipped the gun into the back of his jeans and put on his jacket.

"I've got some things I need to get." He told him. "Don't worry though, I'll not leave you with nothing to do."

He turned on the TV, turning up the volume, likely so that he was sure Al couldn't just yell and attract attention to his plight. As he left the room, locking it behind him, Al just sighed.

"Could you at least change the channel?" He called out. "Seriously, Sponge Bob? I hate that show!"

Over at the High School, the day was wearing on. Brody and Preston's chairs were noticeably empty. Brody had to remain at the hospital, there really wasn't any way they could explain taking him out after the state he arrived in, while Preston was once again spending the day in the workshop. He wasn't in any real state to do much of anything, but they didn't want to have to explain how he got that way.

Sarah still felt awful too. She had no doubt saved Tom's life by absorbing some of his injuries. Taking shots to the chest from Wrench's Gatling Laser, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that at least some of his organs would have been hit, and so Sarah did take a huge risk taking even some of that. She'd been assured that her own organs had already healed to the point they were only bruised, but the feeling of coughing up her own blood was something she was pretty sure she would never forget.

Wrench was a lot smarter than his former employer had ever been, hell it was clear he was a lot smarter than a lot of Cosmo's guys too. The majority of Cosmo's stars were either ego-driven maniacs out to prove their strength, mercenaries who would be thinking about getting their next job and some who were coerced or forced into fighting. Not many of them actually thought out any real strategy short of come down, smash things up until the Rangers showed up, then try to beat the Rangers into a fine red paste. The only part of that plan Wrench seemed to follow was the last part. The rest of it, he was picking his moments, he was using what he knew about the Rangers from months of watching them, and he was trying to cut down the numbers for when he finally did take on those that were left.

Sarah couldn't even hear what Levi was talking about at the front of the class. He was pointing to some musical routine or other on the white board, so she assumed that was what the lesson plan was about. Levi really was passionate about music. It was easy to think of him as a one-trick pony since he was at his roots a country music performer, but he had actually studies music in his time as a Weston. Their money did afford him the opportunity to explore his love of music. He had everything in his personal music database from Bach to Rob Zombie. He did hold a special place in his heart for country music, but he was as comfortable teaching someone to play the piano or violin as he was with a guitar. Unfortunately, right now all Sarah could think about was the fact he had spent the whole night at the hospital as evidenced by the fact he was wearing the same clothes as he had the night before. Both of his brothers were in the hospital, and Sarah couldn't help feeling like she had a responsibility to do something to get Levi the payback he deserved for that.

"Sarah?" Viera asked, leaning over. "What's this note mean again?"

"It's a semi-quaver." Sarah reminded her. "It's a half-beat. A very rapid note."

"Oh, right." Viera replied. Just then, the bell rang, mercifully signalling lunch time. The students all started hurriedly getting their stuff away, while Levi was way too involved in his own issues to remind them they were only to go once he dismissed them. Hayley, Calvin, Viera and Sarah approached him.

"How are they?" Calvin asked him.

"They're doing about as well as can be expected." He told them. "Brody's going to be in there for at least a few days. Of course, they're having to practically tie him to the bed to make him stay, but he knows we'll call him if we don't have a choice."

"Tom?" Sarah asked hopefully. He just nodded.

"They put in in a chemically-induced coma." He told them. "It was pretty touch and go there for a while, but they seem confident he'll pull through."

"I'm really glad I could be of help." Sarah told him.

"How are you after that by the way?" Hayley asked.

"I'm still breathing." Sarah assured her. "It only hurts when I laugh, talk, sing…thanks for making me do that by the way Levi, breathe deeply…"

"Maybe you should rest up for a bit?" Calvin suggested. Sarah just waved him off.

"I'll be fine." She assured him. "Besides, with two Rangers down already, I don't think we can really afford to be too choosy about who's still on active duty."

"So, canteen?" Calvin asked.

"Sorry, I have to help Mrs Finch with some stuff in the teachers' lounge." He told them.

"I'm going to be at the tennis court. Calvin needs to be home early today so I figured it would be better if I get my practice out the way early today." She told them.

"Well, I guess that just leaves you and me then." Sarah answered, looking to Viera. "I was going to work on something in the base, want to just grab something and head through?"

"Sure thing." She agreed as they all headed off for their various lunch plans.

Back in the motel room, Al was trying and failing to get free of the cable ties binding him. He knew thanks to the DND on the door he wasn't likely to be found by the maids, so if he was going to get out, he had to do it himself.

He stopped as he heard the door being unlocked, and sighed as he saw that it was Jerry coming back. He closed the door over, security locking it once more, before heading to the bed and emptying out the contents of the bag. He had a couple of items, mostly snacks, sandwiches and the likes. He also had some beers and another little bag.

"Did you really have to leave me with Sponge Bob?" Al asked. "Talk about cruel and unusual punishment."

"You want to talk about cruel and unusual punishment, try going to prison!" He replied bitterly.

"Jerry, you could have talked…"

"I DID talk! They sent me to prison anyway!" He snapped at him, opening up the bag. "I didn't get a sweet little get-out-of-jail free card and an anonymity agreement."

"I guess you didn't give them something interesting enough then." Al stated. "Jerry, what we did, we deserved what we got, worse even."

"That's easy for you to say! You didn't get locked up!" He roared.

"You're talking like you went to Alcatraz!" Al interjected.

"It was a prison!" Jerry stated.

"It was a minimum-security resort! Hell, they'd re-sowed the lawn on the golf course just before you got there!" Al said in response. "Look at you! You've lost like thirty pounds, you look like you got exercise…hell you look better now than you did when you went in!"

"My wife left me! She had divorce papers sent to me three months after I was sent there." Jerry told him. "Melanie doesn't even return my calls, she had my number blocked, she doesn't want to have anything to do with me! You still have your family!"

"I'm sorry that happened, but I'm not responsible for your family problems Jerry, we're all responsible for our own actions." Al told him. "I could remind you that the Yaxley deal was your idea, but I'm a big boy Jerry. No one twisted my arm and made me go along with it. I did that on my own, just like you did."

"Yeah, you did…and things still worked out pretty nicely for you, didn't they?" Jerry asked as he poured the contents of his bag onto the table. It was a white powder. He started cutting it into lines, before snorting one.

"You know…I know a great programme that can help you with that." Al told him. Jerry cracked open two beers, taking a swig of one before offering one to Al.

"You're trying to tell me you're clean now?" He asked. "I remember the morning-to-night sessions you had at the office."

"Three years sober." Al told him. "I wouldn't take that bottle from you even if I could. It took a lot for me to put it down."

"Well, things have just worked out so well for you, haven't they?" Jerry asked him, slamming the bottle down, slopping some of the contents around. "You're all clean and sober, your family's in a nice new neighbourhood, you own a nice house without a mortgage…"

"I worked very hard at the first two." Al told him. "The house…that's a long story."

"Yeah, I'm sure it is." Jerry stated. "But something tells me I can make it a lot shorter…if you just tell me where it is."

"Where what is?" Al asked him. He just looked to Jerry, who took another long slug of beer before he started to get what was going on. "Wait, you think…you think I have the money?"

"You weren't just good Thompson, you were the best!" Jerry stated. "There's no way you'd have walked away from all this without a dime."

"The feds took everything! Every penny I had went to reimbursing some of what we lost those clients! It was part of the plea deal!" Al yelled at him. "We were sofa-surfing for months before Ellie got a job that earned enough for an apartment!"

"BULLSHIT!" Jerry yelled at him. "You're holding out on me Thompson! I lost everything! Now I want what you owe me!"

"I don't owe you anything Jerry…"

"I think you're forgetting who has this!" Jerry yelled at him, pulling out the gun. Al stared at him in terror.

"I'm well aware of the fact you have that, which is why you can be sure if I had anything I'd give it to you." Al assured him. "Please, Jerry, I don't have the money. It's gone. Just let me go, I just want to go home. Ellie, Sarah, they…"

"I don't buy it Al. You could have showered in manure and still walked away smelling like Chanel No 5 back in the day." Jerry stated. "I just need to figure out how to convince you to start talking."

"Please, Jerry, listen to me…"

"Oh, I intend to." Jerry told him, grabbing Al. "But first…how about a shower?"

Back at the school, Calvin was helping Hayley with her training. He really didn't like or care about tennis, and so he was nowhere near the level he would need to be to offer her any kind of meaningful training as an opponent. What he could do though was work the serving machine. He had rigged it to adjust the aim a little after each shot in a random pattern so that Hayley got more of an experience of facing an opponent instead of a machine that would always hit to the exact same place.

Hayley hopped and sprinted around the court, returning the balls. She had always been fond of the game, but she had gained a whole new motivation for it ever since the school held a tournament the previous year. Her game against Victor wasn't just a loss, it was nothing short of a blood-bath. Not only had she not won a single set, she hadn't so much as won a single point! Victor was an impressive athlete in a number of different sports and tennis was no exception, but that day he had made Hayley look and feel like she had never so much as seen a tennis racket in her life. The only thing worse than how she felt was the fact his bragging and taunting for weeks afterwards. It was then she had dedicated herself to training hard to make sure when she did get a re-match, she could drive an 88 mile and hour serve straight down his stupid throat!

Calvin ducked as the ball sailed straight for him.

"Hey, careful there!" He protested. "I'm trying to help here!"

"I'm sorry Cal." She answered. "I promise I'll…now look what you made me do, I missed that one!"

"Ooh, this looks like fun, can I join in?" Wrench said as he appeared from nowhere, grabbing Calvin and throwing him into the cage surrounding the court.

"I am so done with you attacking our friends!" Hayley stated, reaching for her Power Star. Unfortunately, her attention was drawn by movement. Looking around, she saw that other students were running, but they were still in the area. That meant that people would see if she morphed. Releasing her grip on her Power Star, she gripped her tennis racket tightly and ran straight at Wrench.

Monty was in the corridor, pacing as he tried to think about what he planned to say to her. He couldn't stop thinking about Viera.

"Hey, I have coleslaw" He tried out, thinking of a casual approach, before thinking how lame it sounded. He tried another thought. "So, there's this cartoon festival at the cinema this weekend, do you want to go?"

He smiled and nodded. That was it. Nothing too formal, but also not completely lame and stupid. He was about to head into the canteen to look for her when he heard voices. Sarah and Viera were heading along the hall behind him in the direction of the shop class.

"You know, some people have a little beef with their horseradish." Sarah giggled, seeing the large, sloppy baguette that Viera had picked out for herself before loading up with condiments. She just shrugged.

"What can I say? I like this spicy food you have here on Earth." She replied. Monty followed on as they walked down the hall, seeing them go into the shop class. It made sense, he knew that just like him Sarah worked on a lot of extra credit projects. He was only a little way behind them when they went inside. The fact Sarah was there made him a little nervous, but he had already come this far. He opened the door.

"Hey there Viera, I was just wondering…"

His words tailed off as he looked around finding the classroom completely empty. He blinked and started looking around in confusion.

"Viera?" He asked. "Viera?"

His shoulders slumped in defeat as he figured he must have been mistaken. He started walking away heading for the canteen, hoping that at least Victor would be in there. Moments later, he was sent flying as someone slammed into him, running down the hall. He looked up in time to see Sarah running down the hall.

"I'm sorry Monty! I'm so…I…I need to go but…I'm so sorry!" Sarah rushed out, before turning to run away. Monty got up and dusted himself off, before turning and looking around. The other end of the hall, with the exception of the shop class was a dead end.

"Where did she come from?" Monty asked, straightening out his glasses. "How did she do that?"


	13. Things Get Personal

It was lunch time at the precinct, and unusually Trevor was actually at the precinct, instead of somewhere within his normal patrol areas. Spike had a few clerical things to sort out at the station and so while his preference would have been to visit a kid's lemonade stand or play a game of basketball with some of the locals or something to maintain the friendly face of the department he had become, he was sitting at Ellie's desk, while Spike filled out some papers.

"Are you about done Skullovitch?" He asked.

"I only have a few more to go." Spike answered. "I've got my application for the advanced driving course, and my expenses claim sorted out. Now it's time for the big one, the Concealed Carry Licence application!"

"Concealed Carry?" Trevor asked. "You are aware you have a holster right? What the hell do you need a concealed carry permit for?"

"I'll need one if I want to become a detective!" Spike reminded him. "Of course it'll also open up undercover work...but I'm still waiting on hearing back about that advanced profiling and negotiation seminar..."

"Look at this, the kid's only been here for a cup of coffee and already he's wanting to move onto bigger and better things." Trevor chuckled, looking to Ellie. She just shrugged.

"Never let it be said I discourage ambition." She replied. Trevor just sighed and shook his head.

"That's the problem today, all these kids are in the door five minutes and want to become John McClaine or Matlock or something." He stated. "Everyone knows that uniform is where the real work is done."

"Says the guy with the lowest citation record in the department." Ellie teased him. Trevor just shrugged.

"What can I say? I find that people are more likely to talk to us if they see cops as people who'll have a quiet word about considerate parking and cleaning up their trash than if they dish out a ticket every time they're in the neighbourhood." He answered. "Who also has the highest number of registered informants?"

Just then, the phone rang. Ellie was a little thankful that she was getting taken out of the discussion. She knew it was mostly just Trevor trying to keep the new guy in line and teach him a little respect for the uniforms who would likely be doing most of the background work if he did go on to bigger and better things. Trevor was easily more than capable of moving on from patrol, but the fact was he enjoyed it. Ellie picked up the phone.

"Good morning, 83rd precinct, how may I help you?" Ellie asked. "You want to report a break in? Is it at your address?"

Trevor hit Spike in the upper arm and gestured to the call. Spike put his form aside to listen in as well.

"No, its someone else's home...you were heading past and you found the door lying open?" She asked. "You say there were signs of a struggle? Alright, thanks for your call, I'm going to send a patrol straight over. Can you tell me the address?"

She got a piece of paper and started to write down the address.

"1721 Riverview...Crescent?" She shrieked. "THAT'S MY HOUSE!"

"Spike, get your ass in gear!" Trevor told him, quickly grabbing his jacket. Ellie was doing likewise. Normally they'd not suggest a civilian worker leaving the precinct during their shift, and certainly not to go to an active crime scene, but considering the circumstances, no one was going to try and stop Ellie from going.

"I thought you weren't going to call me...?"

"Not the time Skullovitch!" Trevor warned him as they headed for the door.

Over at the school, Sarah and Levi both morphed as they headed out of the school. They could hardly believe that Wrench or any of Cosmo's other minions would have the nerve to strike them so deep in their own territory. The school to them was their back yard, and an attack there was a pretty bold move. Of course, the unfortunate part was that Wrench had clearly weighed up his odds, and struck there in the hopes that being surrounded by their fellow students, many of whom were their friends, they would be unlikely to unleash their full arsenal on them.

It looked like it was a gamble that paid off. As they arrived, they found Calvin and Hayley already down. Calvin was silent, and lying unmoving on the ground, while Hayley was crying out in pain, clutching her ribs on the floor. Neither of them were morphed, which meant Levi and Sarah could already tell that either they had been beaten to the point they had de-morphed, or they had been unable to morph, likely because they were worried about being seen. Right now, it wasn't even as though they could check on them, since the more pressing matter was getting rid of Wrench.

"Rapid BLAST!" Levi called out, unleashing a barrage from his Rockstorm Blaster at close range, ensuring he didn't waste a shot. He already knew that the reflective coating on Wrench's armour would rebound them, but at the very least it would be a distraction and the initial impact would drive him back a little. With a full charge and a concentrated firing pattern, Levi managed to get enough space between Wrench and Hayley to be able to knock him away with a hard strike.

"It's about time the two of you showed up!" Wrench taunted them. "I was starting to get bored! Sledge made all this look like so much hard work!"

"You've got a lot of nerve coming here!" Sarah screamed at him. "You're going to pay!"

"Set up a line of credit, I'm so far in the black it's not funny!" Wrench replied, powering up his axe. "Which reminds me, I need to visit that Hot Shot in New Zealand for some payback for those X-Jaws!"

Both Levi and Sarah dodged out the way, leaping forward and rolling to their feet. Normally they'd be looking for distance, but Wrench had already shown them more than once that his new armour made blaster fire a very bad option. If they were going to take him down, they needed something other than energy weapons.

Wrench was a lot faster than he looked, but with all their training, together with very real personal reasons to bring him down, Sarah and Levi were very quickly getting through his guard, chipping away at him with all their strength.

"I don't care if we have to take you a piece at a time; we're going to bring you down for good!" Levi stated as he hacked away at him.

"Oh please, you humans will tire eventually! My power cells are fully charged and have a 300 year life span!" He told them, swinging around and forcing them to duck. He managed to kick Levi, but with his back to Sarah, she took the opportunity to put in her Element Star and leap into the air, driving the point down with all her strength and weight behind it.

"FINAL STRIKE!" She called out, driving the point down into Wrench's shoulder, but not managing to get it very far. Wrench bucked to get her off his back, at which there was a huge snap, before Sarah flew into the side of the cage surrounding the tennis court.

"You know, if it wasn't for the fact Cosmo's really wanting this fight tomorrow, I'd finish you right here!" He told her. "But I guess I have to make do with your friend!"

"Leave them alone!" Levi screamed as he ran for Sledge, bringing his weapon down in a huge, double-handed overhead strike. It connected with his shoulder, but as Wrench spun around, back-handing Levi into the cage, he ripped the Rockstorm Blaster from his hands.

Sarah looked over to see Levi lying on the ground, struggling to get up as Wrench opened up his chest cavity, bringing out the Gatling Lasers. She could see that Wrench had Levi's Rockstorm Blaster, meaning that he didn't even have the ability to block.

"Who said I was talking about one of them?" He asked, unleashing his salvo. Sarah couldn't even hear her screams or Levi's over the explosions. By the time the smoke cleared, Wrench was gone, and she was alone. She de-morphed, running over to Levi and shaking him in a futile effort to rouse him.

"Levi? Levi, talk to me!" She begged him. "Hayley...Calvin...anyone?"

With that, she fell to her knees and buried her face in her hands, the weight of the situation crashing down on her. Wrench had exactly what he wanted. She was now the last one standing, and having taken out her friends, she had no idea how she was meant to take him down.

Trevor, Spike and Ellie all sped to the Thompson House, the siren blaring as they came into the street. Trevor had already called ahead for any unit in the area to attend to secure the area and tend to the witness.

Ellie was already distraught, trying to imagining all sorts of horrible things that might have happened, and praying that Al was out for a trip to the supermarket or seeing a client at the time. Breaking into houses was a pretty bold move in the middle of the day. With the visibility of daylight and the number of passers-by, most people tended not to break into homes in the middle of the week unless they knew the street was going to be empty. While at one time that might have been a viable option, the nine-to-five working week was long since a thing of the past and so there was often one or two people around most of the time. Unfortunately that meant that most people who would risk breaking in during the day were likely to have a pretty good reason for that confidence, namely if they were armed!

"Where is he? Where's my husband?" She yelled as she rushed for the house, being held back by one of the other officers. "Al! AL!"

"Miss, there's no one in the house. When we got here the house was empty." The officer told her. Trevor came to Ellie's side, trying to comfort her in whatever way he could. Spike looked to the officer.

"What does the witness say?" Spike asked him.

"She said she was just jogging through the neighbourhood and saw the door lying open. She went to see if the owner had made a mistake and make sure everything was alright." The officer told her. "When she saw the blood she called for us."

"Blood?" Ellie screamed, suddenly becoming even more worried. Spike went into the house, closely followed by Trevor. They went in and found the entrance hall in a bit of a mess, and some blood splattered on the wall. It wasn't much; it looked like what they'd expect from someone that had taken a hit, but certainly not from a gunshot or stabbing.

"The living room looks like it hasn't been disturbed." Trevor commented. "I'll get Ellie to confirm that, but I'd say it looks like nothing was taken."

"They've got a nice house, full of nice stuff...not to mention the home of a financial advisor who no doubt has a LOT of people's personal data on the premises and they don't take anything?" Spike asked. "Why do I get the feeling robbery wasn't the motive?"

"Marx!" One of the others called out. "We've got another witness. Some old guy from across the street."

"Nosey pensioners with nothing better to do." Trevor said with a smile. "Best security system in the world. We're just coming."

Spike and Trevor came out, finding Ellie already talking to the guy. He was giving his story to the cops.

"Well, that's the thing, I saw some guy roll up in a blue Lincoln and park right there by the curb. Now I'm not nosey, but it caught my attention because he was blocking poor Mrs Edwards' drive way! Really inconsiderate! You can tell a lot about a person by how he parks..."

"Please George, can you just tell us if you saw Al." Ellie asked him.

"Well yeah, the guy in the Lincoln went to the door. He was sporting a really bad limp too. Hard not to notice that. Anyway, next thing I know Al's coming out and getting in the car and driving him away."

"Driving? Al was driving his car?" Ellie asked.

"Well yeah, that was something I thought was odd too." George stated.

"Can you describe the man he left with?" Trevor asked him. He thought about it for a moment.

"He looked like he was in his fifties...maybe early sixties. White hair, moustache...looked to be in decent shape other than the limp." He told them.

"Thank you for your time." Trevor answered. "One of the other officers can take you to the precinct to put your statement in writing."

"I'll just get my wallet." George said with a grin, looking like a kid going to a toy store. Clearly he liked the idea of helping the police with an investigation. Trevor and Spike looked at each other.

"What do you think Skullovitch?" He asked.

"Old guy, white hair and moustache, injured...it all sounds like kind of a lot of coincidence." He stated.

"Yeah, I was thinking that too." Trevor answered, looking to Ellie. "Ellie, we've been making inquiries into a suspicious person in town. Does the name Jerry Goodwill mean anything to you?"

Ellie didn't need to say anything. The fact she went completely pale and her knees buckled out from under her forcing Spike to catch her before she hit the concrete told them that she did indeed know the name.

"Jerry?" She asked.

"Yeah, he was involved in the Yaxley Scam in Panorama." Spike told her. "You lived in Panorama too, so I guess you knew him..."

"He was...he was a friend." Ellie gulped as she prepared to tell them. "What I'm about to tell you was sealed by the courts."

"What is it?" Trevor asked her.

"Jerry and Al weren't just friends, they were...they were partners." She told them. "Al was the other culprit in the Yaxley Scam."

They both backed off a little hearing this.

"He turned State's Witness and testified against the company. The FEC got almost eighty convictions on his testimony alone! His name was kept from public record as part of the plea deal..."

"But Jerry went down." Spike sighed. "I think it's fair to say whatever went down robbery was NOT the motive."

"Please, my husband, he wasn't a good man, even he knows that. He lives every day with what he did. He worked so hard to become a good man." She begged them. "Please, you have to find him!"

"We'll do everything we can." Spike assured her. "We'll find him."

Over at the Ranger Base, Sarah was sitting, completely shell-shocked after the latest battle. The whole thing looked hopeless. Within only a few short days, Wrench had decimated her whole team. She was now literally the last one standing, and the only one that stood between him and complete victory.

She didn't know why Wrench hadn't taken any of the Power Stars. She figured he probably just wanted to save that for the cameras. What was the point in giving away the money shot on free television after all?

"The others have been taken to the hospital." Mick told her as Viera stood, putting her arm around Sarah in the hopes of comforting the Pink Ranger. "Principal Hastings is making sure that everyone just thinks they were unlucky to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Yeah, they were." Sarah sniffed. "They were on a team with me."

"Sarah..."

"What Mick? Don't be so hard on myself?" She demanded. "Why not? I'm the one he wants! I'm the only one that isn't laid up and..."

"Sarah, you can't beat yourself up over this." Mick told her. "Wrench is..."

"Wrench was the guy that Dr Morgan defeated repeatedly without even knowing they were in a fight!" Sarah shrieked. "The only reason he's still around is because no one in Amber Beach thought he was WORTH destroying! Now he's taken out all of us and I'm just waiting on getting my ass handed to me in front of the entire universe!"

She grabbed her Ninja Sword and threw it across the room in frustration. She just started to sob.

"So much for being a Ranger." She lamented.

"Sarah, you're a great Ranger." Mick stated.

"Dr Morgan was better." Sarah sighed. "And Shelby...and Chase and Riley..."

"You know there are a lot of Rangers, so this could be a long list." Mick told her.

"If that's your way of making me feel better..."

"All I was going to say is, if you're going to rank yourself against people that have done great things, you're never going to feel like you're up to it." Mick said as Redbot went to retrieve Sarah's sword. "You have done some amazing things, things I would never have thought possible, and you're not even close to done unless you tell yourself you are."

"But I couldn't help them!" She replied.

"You're saying things never looked bad for the last team? They never had times where it looked like it was all done?" Mick asked. "You keep talking about Dr Morgan, are you trying to tell me she was always on top of things? That she never had times where she was outmatched?"

"She...she was once on Sledge's ship before she got her powers." Sarah answered. "I guess she always said she felt like she was pretty much done for when she realised Wrench knew she was on board."

"But she went on anyway and...look what happened." Mick said with a smile. "I don't know the majority of the Rangers. I've only met you guys, and a few of the Amber Beach guys, but without even meeting any of the others, I can pretty much guarantee you one thing."

"What's that?" Sarah asked him.

"Every single one of them will have thought at one time or another they weren't up to the task." Mick put down flatly, hugging her tightly. "But every single one of them went on and found a way."

"I guess I'll be needing this." Sarah said as Redbot brought back her sword. She looked to it, before rolling her eyes. "I guess I can borrow one of the others. It looks like I damaged it. Shows temper tantrums with weapons..."

"Wait, it's damaged?" Mick asked her. Sarah showed it to him.

"Yeah, the tip has snapped off." She told him. "I'm sure we can re-forge it..."

"Sarah, Ninja Steel is far too strong to be damaged that easily. You couldn't have damaged it throwing it into the wall." Mick told her.

"But then when...?" Sarah paused for a moment as she played the battle back in her mind. She remembered landing on Wrench, driving the sword into him, before being thrown off. She remembered hearing a snap.

She then thought to seeing Wrench with the Rockstorm Blaster. She had thought he was holding it, but his hands were out to the side, but he was holding the Rockstorm blaster in the middle..."

"He wasn't holding it!" She rushed out.

"He wasn't holding what?" Mick asked.

"When he took Levi's weapon, I thought Wrench was holding it. He wasn't!" Sarah told them. "I drove my sword into his shoulder and the tip snapped off. Then Levi hit him in the shoulder with his weapon. Wrench wasn't holding it...it was embedded in him!"

"What are you saying?" Redbot asked.

"I'm saying he was damaged! He's not indestructible!" She shrieked. "Maybe if I get a little more power..."

"More power?" Viera asked. Sarah looked to her as Viera smiled. "I think I have just the thing!"

In another part of town, in the motel room, Jerry had taken Al into the bathroom, forcing him into the bathtub. He had shoved him down into the bottom of it, kneeling on his chest while he held a towel over his face. Taking the shower head in his other hand, he was running the shower into the towel.

Al spluttered and choked as the water was forced into his nose and mouth. While not especially refined, it was a pretty crude and effective form of water-boarding. Jerry pulled the shower head away and pulled the towel off, allowing Al to clear his tubes of some of the water.

"You can't keep this up forever Al! The martyr thing never suited you!" Jerry told him. "Tell me where it is!"

"I can't tell you Jerry because there's nothing there!" Al told him. "How many times do I have to tell you?"

"You'd say anything to get your own ass out the fire. That's why half your old friends are still in jail!" Jerry answered. "You're probably hoping the cops are going to be on their way..."

"Jerry, please, just let me go; I won't say anything about this." Al told him. "I'm sorry you went down, but we both deserved..."

"I deserve what I'm owed!" Jerry screamed at him. "But if I can't get the answer from you, maybe Ellie will be more co-operative. Or how about Sarah?"

Jerry went to the sink, where he snorted another line to give him the courage to keep going.

Al played over what was happening in his mind. He didn't know what had happened to Jerry, he had never known him to be violent. Hell, the closest he got to violence when he knew him was one time he threw an envelope to another colleague and an unfortunate office junior just so happened to be passing at that moment, getting accidentally hit. It was a perfectly harmless and innocent mistake for which Jerry apologised profusely right away. Of course given his current predicament he could tell that he had gotten over that hangup.

Before he'd never have believed Jerry could do anything to harm Ellie or Sarah, but now, now he wasn't so sure, and he shuddered to think of what he would do to them. Al just gulped and took a deep breath.

"Alright Jerry, alright." He told him. "You win."

"Alright, now we're talking." Jerry said. "So what is it? A Gran Cayman account? Swiss?"

"Nothing like that." Al told him.

"Alright, so where is it?" Jerry asked him. "Tell me or I'm heading over to Sarah's school and..."

"I'll do better than that." Al told him. "I'll show you where it is."

 **A/N:** Well, not quite where I was INTENDING to end the story before my trip, but hopefully it acts as enough of a cliff-hanger. I'll be away at the con for about a week, so until then, hope you all liked it! Promise I'll be back as soon as possible.


	14. Last Thing Needed

Sarah was in the yard behind the school, working out to make sure she was in top shape for when she faced off against Wrench. Thanks to his new tech, combined with a series of surprise attacks, he had now left the team decimated, and leaving Sarah facing the very real prospect of taking him on by herself.

Preston was still not at a hundred percent, while Levi, Calvin and Hayley had now joined Brody in the hospital. The school couldn't really cover the fact that the school had been attacked, but fortunately the identities of the Rangers hadn't been revealed. Wrench knew that as bold a move as hitting the Rangers so close to home was, if he got there when other students were around, Calvin and Hayley couldn't risk morphing, making taking them down startlingly easy. As far as the student body and the authorities were concerned, Calvin and Hayley had just been unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and Levi had been hurt in an ill-advised attempt to rescue some of his students. The only good thing to come out of all of this was that the school was now closed and would be at least until the beginning of the following week.

Sarah had known Wrench from before, from her time acting in an assistant role to the Amber Beach team, and back then, like them, she had treated him as something of a joke. He was always rather cowardly, had a habit of not taking on the Rangers directly if he could help it, and when times got tough, he had actually run out on Sledge. She could still remember that he was among the many of Sledge's other cohorts who were unaccounted for because frankly once he was out of the picture, most of them just cut and run. They had no real loyalty to Sledge; beyond being afraid of him so once the threat of him coming after them was gone, most of them just left Earth never to be heard from again. Now, she was starting to think that perhaps that had been a huge mistake.

From what little she could piece together from what Brody had told her, Wrench had gotten the job on the Warrior Dome a little before they arrived on Earth. He had applied for a job and been taken on as an "intern" or slave because it seemed like a much better prospect than staying with Sledge. Bizarrely she had Wrench to thank for becoming a Ranger in the first place, since he had been the one to facilitate Brody and Mick's escape. Of course he'd done that more out of the desire to get Mick out the way so there was a Chief Engineer position available for him, but from there, it looked like Wrench's career path had taken an interesting turn too. Now, he was very much on Cosmo's inner circle and with him having lost Ripcon already, Wrench was clearly coming closer and closer to the top of that pyramid.

Mick and Redbot watched her as she trained, making sure she didn't overdo things. With her being the only Ranger left standing, they couldn't afford to risk her harming herself in her preparations. They all knew that the others would join her if she didn't have a choice, but Sarah was taking it all very personally. Between Wrench being a part of her past, and the fact he had done so much harm to the team, she was taking it as her responsibility to end him for good.

Viera came out from the back, carrying a large chest. Mick looked to her as she brought it into view, putting it down.

"Here." She told them. "I gave the Lion Fire Armour Star and the Lion Ship Star to Sel during the trip. He kept them in here."

"Thanks Viera." Mick sighed. "We may just need all the help we can get."

Just then, they heard a phone ringing. Sarah pulled out her phone and answered it.

"Hello? Mom?" She asked. "Look, I know you've probably heard of the attack by now but I wasn't there, I'm...what do you mean what attack?"

She looked over to the others and suddenly looked incredibly worried.

"Mom, slow down, I can hardly hear...what happened...? What's that about dad?"

Mick and Redbot just looked on as Sarah had to steady herself against the shelves.

"Yeah...I'll...I'll be there right away. Yes, I'll stay safe...I'll get someone from the school to drop me off. Yes, I promise." She didn't so much hang up the phone as drop it on the ground. The others all quickly gathered around her.

"What is it?" Mick asked her. "What happened?"

"It's...it's my dad. Something happened to him." Sarah told them, struggling to hold it all together. "They think he's been kidnapped."

"Oh, Sarah." Mick said, grabbing her into a tight hug.

"They think it's some guy from Panorama, someone that wants to hurt him." Sarah said, looking completely ill. "I...I need to..."

"It's alright, we'll get you home." Mick told her. "I'll get a hold of Jennifer to give you a lift. Under the circumstances I doubt she'll mind."

"Um...I...I need to go and get changed." Sarah said, looking down at her training uniform. "I have to...um..."

"It's fine, really." Mick answered. "Jennifer should be ready to take you home soon."

She just nodded and headed off to get changed. Mick ran a hand through his hair.

"This really couldn't have come at a worse time." He commented.

"Is there anything we can do?" Viera asked him.

"Not without risking running across the path of the authorities." Mick told her. "I think that right now, the only thing we can do is leave them to do their jobs."

"What about Wrench?" Viera asked.

"Wrench would be Sarah's job." Mick replied sadly. "We just have to hope she's up to it."

In a gas station on the freeway miles outside of Summer Cove, Al pulled the Blue Lincoln into the forecourt and stopped up by a pump.

"What are you doing?" Jerry demanded angrily. "Is this it?"

"Do you really think I could hide anything here?" Al asked. "No, I just need to fill up."

"You're just stalling..."

"Look at the gauge yourself!" Al stated, pointing to it. "It's not my fault you forgot to fill the tank when you rented this thing!"

"Alright, but make it quick." Jerry told him. He grabbed Al as he was about to get out and handed him a credit card. "Don't try anything cute now, pay at the pump!"

Al had hoped that perhaps he could slip the teller a note or something, but he guessed it was kind of a vain hope that Jerry would let him too far out of his sight. He went to the pump and put the card in, picking up the hose. He heard a knock on the window.

"Premium!" Jerry warned him. "Don't want you making any mistakes like putting in diesel or anything."

Al just put the hose down and grabbed the right one, beginning to pump the gas. He looked around, wondering if there was some way he could alert someone to his plight without putting someone in too much danger. It was clear that Jerry hadn't been thinking right to begin with, and with the addition of a couple of hits of cocaine he had taken to give him the nerve to carry out his plan, he wasn't confident that Jerry wouldn't use the gun if he was pushed or startled. He didn't want to get anyone else involved if he could help it, but so far he was kind of short on the details of his own plan.

His first thought was to get Jerry as far away from Summer Cove and his family as he could. Al was, if nothing else, a numbers man at heart, and he already knew his odds of getting out of this unharmed were not the kind of odds he'd ever lay a bet on. If anything, he was thinking less about getting out of the situation himself and trying to think how best to sacrifice himself in a way that kept Ellie and Sarah safe. After all, it didn't really matter what happened to him if he could get Jerry into the custody of the authorities.

The pump was nearly finished, so he didn't have long left to think of something, but that was when he noticed the cameras. Like all service stations, this one had cameras. He didn't have any materials or time to make a sign or something, but he made sure he let one of the cameras get a good look at him. As the pump finished, he hung up the hose and went to check the details of the transaction. That was when a thought occurred to him. The message said not to remove the card, the machine seemed to be taking a while to process the transaction. Al grabbed the card and yanked it out, getting into the drivers' seat. He quickly started up the engine and drove off.

"What's the hurry?" Jerry asked.

"Forgive me for wanting to get this over with and get back to my family!" Al responded, looking at the mirror. He could see the cashier rushing out, no doubt alerted by someone driving off without paying. He could see him already pulling out a phone. He looked to Jerry trying to keep his attention away from the mirrors so he couldn't see that by now the cashier was likely calling the cops on the guy that just stole a tank of premium. "Believe me Jerry; I don't give a shit about the money anymore."

"Well you should give a shit about the speedometer." Jerry warned him. "If we get pulled over, it won't end well for you."

Al just nodded in understanding, before turning his attention back to the road.

Over at the Thompson House, Principal Hastings pulled up behind one of the two police cruisers that were stationed there to keep an eye on the family in case Jerry came back, letting Sarah out the back of the car. She was barely out of the car before Ellie was at the door. Sarah ran over to her mother, grabbing her in a tight hug for support.

"Mom, what happened?" Sarah asked.

"They don't know too much, all they know is that your dad was attacked here and then he left." Ellie told her uneasily. While Sarah did know a fair bit about what happened in Panorama, being young at the time her parents didn't feel that she was ready yet to hear a great deal of it. Sarah knew that her dad had done something bad and that it was his decision to turn in a lot of his friends that had been the only reason he was still with them and not in prison for a very long time. Trevor had insisted on staying as one of the officers on the scene so that there was a friendly face there.

"We have a suspect and we're looking for him." Trevor assured her.

"Who is it?" Sarah asked. "Who did this? Who's got my dad?"

Sarah had enough to deal with knowing that Wrench was coming to Summer Cove in the morning. She was determined that nothing was going to happen to her dad into the bargain. If she had a name, she could try and track him down; she had the power to take down a simple thug if she found him.

"Sarah, I understand, but we have people who are trained for this kind of thing." Trevor said to her in a soothing way. "I promise, we're doing everything we can to find your dad."

"Well it's not enough!" Sarah snapped at him. "You need to be out there, not here on our doorstep..."

"Sarah, please, try to calm down." Spike said to her. "Right now, your mom needs you. The best thing you can do is stay here and let us all do our jobs."

"But..."

"Take this not as coming from a cop, but from someone who has lived through something like this." Spike told her. "Losing your head now isn't going to help anyone. Your mom needs to know you're here with her safe and sound, and when we find your dad, he's going to need you too."

Sarah felt the frustration building in her. She wanted nothing more than to run off and find her dad herself, to bring him home safe and sound and make sure whoever had taken him would never even think of doing something like that again, but feeling her mom holding onto her, Sarah knew that they were right about one thing. Her mom was facing losing her husband, the last thing she needed was for Sarah to run off as well, especially since she didn't really have any idea where to even begin looking for whoever had taken her dad. Asking who had a reason to want to harm him was like asking for a copy of the Panorama phone book! Reluctantly, she accepted the helplessness of her situation and nodded, heading inside with her mom. She went with her, sitting with her on the couch as her mom held onto her hand.

"Is there anything I can do?" She asked. "Coffee? Tea?"

"Tell me everything's going to be alright?" Ellie asked her, leaning into her daughter and holding onto her tightly. Sarah just held her, wishing that she hadn't asked for the one thing Sarah couldn't give her.

Outside the Thompson House, Trevor and Spike were awaiting any word. They didn't really want to intrude on the family at this delicate time, but between wanting to make sure that there was someone there in case Al and Jerry came back and to relay any information that did come through, they really wanted to keep a presence at the house. Spike looked to Jerry.

"You don't need to stay." Spike told him.

"What was that Skullovitch?" He asked him.

"Well...I know Hayley was hurt in that attack earlier." Spike reminded him. "I'd understand if you wanted to go to the hospital."

"Sadly this is all just part of the job." Trevor answered sadly as he looked to his phone, finding no new messages from his wife. "I'll be there when I can, but right now my place is here."

Just then, Trevor's phone started ringing. He answered it, hoping that it was word on Hayley, but he heard the voice on the other end.

"Marx, I thought you'd want to know. There's been a break in the case." The Captain told him.

"You've found them?" Trevor asked.

"Not quite, but there's a report from a gas station heading out of the city of a blue Lincoln that drove off without paying for a tank of gas." He told him. "I'm sending you a still from the footage as we speak."

Trevor got the notification of the message and opened it up. He could see Al on the camera, almost like he was specifically staring right into it. Sure enough, it looked like he'd been roughed up a bit, and since they couldn't see Jerry, they had to assume he was in the car.

"That's him alright." Trevor told the Captain.

"We've got a registration number." The Captain told him. "We've put out a bolo for sightings. We've given the instruction to report their location but not to approach under any circumstances."

"That's probably for the best for now." Trevor answered. "Which direction were they heading?"

"They were heading north." The Captain told him. "Wait...I've just got a message...there's a sighting here, it says they were heading on the freeway up towards..."

"Panorama?" Spike asked.

"Yeah, that's what it looks like." The Captain answered.

"We're on our way." Trevor told him. "Tell local PD to contact me directly if there are any more sightings."

He put his phone away, smiling as he did so.

"Al, you are one smart son of a bitch." He commented.

"What?" Spike asked.

"Spike, the guy's a financial wizard." Trevor reminded him. "What do you think are the odds he'd screw up a simple credit card transaction?"

"You think...?"

"He knew the theft would be reported, and he made sure the camera got a good shot of him and the car!" Trevor replied, gesturing to the other car. "You two! Stick to the Thompson House like a limpet! If you leave for any reason, I'll make it my personal mission in life to make your lives a living hell!"

With that, he and Spike got into their car and drove off, heading for the freeway.

Up on the Warrior Dome, Wrench was in his quarters, preparing for the show. Half a dozen kudabots were on duty, polishing up his armour to make sure he looked his best for the cameras. He had to say, while he hadn't actually wanted to be one of the warriors on the show, the attention he was getting; the pampering and the makeover were all rather flattering!

"Careful, I just had that repaired!" He complained as one of them was rubbing his shoulder joint. "Stupid robot! I should turn you into a coffee maker!"

"You definitely seem to be enjoying the attention though." Cosmo said as he arrived, smiling. "Tell me; are you perfectly certain you don't want to be on this side of the camera more often?"

"No thank you!" Wrench assured him. "It's one and done for me! I believe in retiring while you're ahead."

"Just think, only one more Ranger to go." Cosmo said to him. "I just hope you don't finish the bout too quickly and deprive our audience a show."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that." Wrench said, picking up Levi's Rockstorm Blaster, holding it in both hands and bending it until it snapped in two. "With the Pink Ranger, I'm going to take my time and enjoy myself!"

 **A/N:** Yes, I'm BACK! Morphicon was great! And while it was a blast, I do feel I have a bit of catching up to do! Hope you liked it!


	15. Sarah's Fury

Al was still on the road, driving Jerry towards their final location. He already knew that by now the authorities had to have heard about the "theft" at the gas station. Hell, they had to; he had done everything he could to make sure he could be identified. He would gladly pay for the gas if they came. Hell, if he could be sure they'd take Jerry away and keep his family safe he'd gladly buy the whole damn gas station! However, as he drove, he couldn't help noticing he passed a police cruiser in a speed trap, but since they didn't seem to turn on their lights or start up their engine that they weren't in pursuit.

"I've got to admit you had some balls hiding the goods back here." Jerry said, topping up his high with another quick jolt of coke. They'd been driving pretty much all night, and he was sure that Jerry had to be feeling as tired as he was, but thanks to chemical assistance he wasn't in danger of just falling asleep. "I thought Panorama would be the last place you'd ever want to see again."

"Why do you think I hid the stuff here?" Al asked him. It was true that Al had a lot of bad memories of Panorama, and it was a place he'd never wanted to return to if he could help it. That said since Jerry had already threatened to go back to the house to go after Sarah or Ellie he had resolved to take him as far away as he could. "It's the last place the authorities would look."

"That's the Al I remember, you were always thinking!" Jerry said as he slapped the back of Al's seat. He checked around to make sure the car wasn't being followed. "We've been driving all night, how much further is it?"

"Not much further, we just need to get the ferry." Al told him.

"Ferry?" He asked.

"It's on Manalua." He informed him. "We'll be there in a couple of hours."

"Alright, but don't try anything funny." Jerry told him. "I hate boats."

At the Thompson House, Sarah was on the couch, with her mother lying along it, resting on her. She checked her watch, checking the time. There had been little danger of anyone in the Thompson House sleeping that night. With Al still missing and the police giving them little if any information on what they were doing to find him it was only sheer exhaustion that gave Ellie anything close to any kind of rest.

Sarah also knew that she had Wrench to worry about. She doubted that he would care much that Sarah was going out of her mind worrying about whether or not she was ever going to see her dad again. He was scheduled to come to Earth to begin the show any time now, and that was really all he cared about. Sarah felt Ellie move, clinging to her a little more tightly. She didn't even know what she would be able to say to her mom if she had to leave.

"Have there been any calls?" Ellie asked. It was a question that Sarah had already answered many times. It wasn't as though Ellie couldn't hear the phone, but Sarah understood that between her exhaustion and her thoughts over what could be happening to her husband that she wasn't thinking too clearly. Sarah just checked the phone for messages.

"Nothing new." Sarah sighed. "You want me to get us some more cocoa?"

Ellie just sat up, letting Sarah up from the couch. The Pink Ranger headed to the kitchen to start looking out what she needed.

"Sarah?" Ellie called out. Sarah breathed a sigh and stepped back a bit. She hadn't thought about it, but she had stepped out of view for a moment.

"Yes mom?" She asked.

"I...found that mug you were looking for." She told her. "You know the one that we couldn't find after the move? It turned out I'd packed it in a box of your dad's old clothes."

"Thanks mom." Sarah replied. She knew that her mom didn't really care about the mug. Right now, Sarah didn't care much about it either. It was a simple mug she'd been given at Amber Beach. When she had been on the team for a little while, they had given it to Sarah as a gesture to show she was a part of the team. It was a stupid little mug with a picture of Sarah and all her friends on it. It couldn't have cost more than about thirty dollars or so, but she loved that thing, and had been hunting for it for months. On any other day Sarah would have been over the moon that it was found, but right now, she could only think that she could drink out of a toilet and not even care.

Her Ninja-Comm bleeped, and she knew exactly what it had to be. Wrench had shown up, which meant it was time for her to go.

"What's that?" Ellie asked her.

"It's...it's nothing mom." Sarah lied, beginning to make up the cocoa. "It's just Hayley...she's a little bored with the hospital."

Sarah hated this, she was angry that she couldn't go and help her dad, but right now her mom needed to feel that Sarah was near her. She was livid that Wrench was attacking now. She knew that she didn't have any choice but to go, but she wasn't sure how she would ever explain to her mom who just wanted to know that she was nearby and was safe.

At a service station at the edge of the freeway, Trevor was pacing around by the patrol car, while talking on the phone.

"You're sure; it's definitely the car we're looking for?" Trevor asked. "And you said you saw it heading for the ferry port? OK, thank you! No, don't approach, but contact the closest officers, tell them to be on the lookout and consider him armed and dangerous. Do NOT approach unless he leaves you no choice!"

As he hung up, he rolled his eyes as Spike came running back, pulling up his fly.

"For the love of God Skullovitch, I swear you have a bladder the size of an acorn!" He berated his partner.

"I'm sorry, that tea went straight through me!" Spike protested.

"Well hurry up, we just got a lead!" Trevor told him. "They were spotted by a speed trap heading towards the harbour, and a patrol said they saw the car boarding the Manalua ferry."

"The Manalua ferry?" Spike asked, running around the car. "Give me the keys!"

"What?" Trevor asked.

"I used to live here! I know the roads!" Spike told him.

"They invented this thing called Sat-Nav." Trevor reminded him. "I already know if we follow this freeway..."

"If we follow this freeway you're going to run straight headlong into the morning gridlock!" Spike told him. "Of course if you take the back road we'll be there in about fifteen minutes in time for the next ferry!"

Trevor thought about it for a moment, before handing Spike the keys.

"I better not regret this Skullovitch!" He warned him as they got into the cruiser. Spike pulled a quick reverse 180 and then slammed the car into drive, screeching out of the parking lot at break-neck speed.

Back at the Thompson House, Sarah brought the cocoa into the Living Room, where her mom was waiting. Her Ninja-Comm bleeped again.

"You can answer that." Ellie told her.

"It's alright mom, I'll speak to Hayley later." Sarah told her. "Here, have some cocoa."

Her mom took the mug and took a long sip. Sarah held her cocoa as she watched her mom drinking.

"Did I tell you that your dad got me this mug on our first date?" Ellie asked her. "He got it from his college gift shop. He didn't have the money for anything else, but even with this he ended up eating ramen noodles for a week afterwards."

"Really?" Sarah asked, humouring her mother. She'd heard the story a million times, but right now Ellie needed to tell it again.

"I know it's your favourite." Sarah said, holding her mother warmly.

"I must have dropped this thing about a dozen times. He always superglues it back together for me." She said as she gulped down more. "I sometimes wonder if its' more glue than porcelain by now."

"The good news is by now it'd be more likely to bounce than break." Sarah told her as Ellie leaned on her for comfort. Sarah stroked her hair gently. Ellie moved to put her feet up on the couch as Sarah allowed her to lean on her.

"Mom?" Sarah asked. Just then, her mom's cocoa mug slipped from her hand. Sarah decided not to risk her bounce vs break theory and moved quickly to catch it as Ellie collapsed completely. She carefully put both mugs on the coffee table and extracted herself from her mom, laying her carefully on the couch.

"I'm sorry mom." Sarah whispered as she put a blanket over her, before taking the cups into the kitchen and pouring them into the sink. "I...I couldn't think of anything else."

With that, she went to the back door, quietly slipping out as her Ninja-Comm bleeped again.

"I'm here Mick." She answered.

"Sarah! You..."

"Make it quick Mick; I just had to drug my own mother!" Sarah interrupted him sharply. "Just tell me where Wrench is. He has SERIOUSLY picked the wrong day to mess with me!"

Elsewhere in the city, Wrench was sitting on a short wall in a shopping mall while people screamed. He had brought a contingent of kudabots with him just to stir up some trouble to gain some attention and draw Sarah out, but so far he'd been at this a while and there was no sign of her. He sat, with the head of his axe on the floor, spinning it in place to keep himself amused while he waited for her.

"What is taking so long? Has she chickened out and run away?" He demanded as he looked around. There were a lot of shoppers who had been barricaded into shops in order to keep them from escaping. Wrench was nothing if not a pragmatist and he always wanted a trump card available for him to use in case things didn't go as he planned. "That doesn't bode well for all of you by the way!"

He hefted his axe up onto his shoulder and started pacing, checking the clock again.

"Oh for the love of...what is TAKING so long?" He demanded again. He looked up to a balcony and noticed something odd. One of the shops he'd been using as an impromptu prison was now empty.

"What? How...how did that...?"

He heard something and spun around, just in time to see empty space where two of his kudabots should have been. A couple of others were on their way there, but were dragged out of view by some unseen hand.

"What's going on here?" He demanded, spinning around as he heard a crash. Another kudabot had just taken a nose-dive off the upper balconies and smashed into pieces on the floor. He looked up in time to see the Pink Ranger dropping down right into the middle of the kudabots he had on the ground floor, lashing out in all directions.

Sarah's screams echoed through the whole building as her sword blazed through kudabots in a fury. She had no patience for the usual battle and wanted to take care of things as quickly as possible. Her mom hadn't slept all night, and she knew between that and the medication she would have some time before she woke up, but she didn't know exactly how long and didn't want to take any chances. As well as that, she still wanted to be where she could be contacted by the police in case they had any news on her dad.

As the last kudabot fell, she glared straight at Wrench, who was standing before her in a cocky pose.

"So, you did finally show up." He taunted her. "You're looking a little short..."

"How about we dispense with the pleasantries and get on with this?" Sarah asked him, tears running down her face under her visor. "I could live without all your bullshit!"

"Such language!" Wrench chuckled. "Don't you think that's a little unbecoming of..."

Sarah had heard enough and ran straight for him. Wrench was only barely able to get his axe in the way as she swung for the fences, her sword coming at him so quickly even his systems had trouble keeping track of it.

Over on Manalua, Trevor and Spike rolled their cruiser off the ferry onto the island. Trevor looked to his young protégé.

"Alright, what now?" He asked.

"Manalua's a tourist trap, but it's a small island. It's only a couple of miles across." Spike told him. "We shouldn't have to look too hard to find them. We know what the car looks like."

"I was hoping you'd have some kind of insight here." Trevor told him. "I mean, you're Mr Panorama right? Not to mention you were involved in the original case."

"I was SIXTEEN!" Spike reminded him. "I wasn't even in the academy back then! I was in High School! The only thing I was involved in was the school siege!"

"So you know more than me!" Trevor reminded him. "Think, did anything happen out here?"

"Well, there was a Ranger battle here once, but that's nothing to do with this." Spike recalled. "Let me think...it's nowhere near the school...Mr Goodwill didn't live out here, he lived in the city..."

"Hurry up Skullovitch! Time's wasting!" Trevor beckoned him.

"STOP RUSHING ME! I don't know, nothing happened on Manalua that connects to the fraud or the..."

"What?" Trevor asked, noticing the pause. "What is it?"

"I think I know where they're heading!" He said, putting the car into drive. "I just hope I'm right!"

Back at the mall, Sarah was fighting like she was possessed. Wrench had already done so much to harm her friends that she wanted to see him destroyed for good. For him to keep her from her mom and dad when they needed her the most brought down a red mist that Sarah rarely felt. Wrench opened up his chest cavity, opening fire with his Gatling Laser as she knocked the axe from his hand before she could take advantage. Sarah was picked up and thrown through a couple of pillars before hitting a wall and falling to the floor. Sarah could already feel her breathing becoming more difficult.

"You got the drop on me there Pink Ranger, I'll give you that!" Wrench called out. "But without your friends, you're nothing!"

"Don't...talk...about...MY FRIENDS!" Sarah screamed at him as she shakily got back to her feet. Wrench saw her going for a Power Star and just laughed.

"Haven't you learned?" He demanded as he opened up his missile bays. He opened fire and launched a full salvo straight for her. Sarah disappeared as smoke and flame filled the room. Wrench turned away and summoned his axe to his hand, twirling it as he posed for the camera.

"You know, I always wondered why you Rangers did that." He said arrogantly as he looked into a Buzz-Cam. "But that does feel pretty damn good! Show's over, WRENCH WINS!"

Suddenly, he fell to the ground, his legs disappearing beneath him. He tried to get up, only to realise they hadn't just been swept out from under him, but completely severed! He put out a hand to turn over, only for a burning blade to come down, taking his arm off at the elbow. He rolled over, staring up at Sarah, who was standing, resplendent in the Lion Fire Armour. He brought up the axe, which Sarah sliced through in her fury, before taking off his other arm. She stood over him, gripping the blazing sword in both hands.

"You will NEVER mess with my friends AGAIN!" She screamed as she brought the blade down, again and again, smashing his body into pieces as she hacked him apart. In a flash of light, Wrench's head disappeared, but that didn't stop Sarah from carrying on, hacking away until virtually nothing was left but scrap. She only stopped when she looked up and saw some of the shoppers she had freed staring at her.

"I...think you've got him." One of them told her. Sarah just nodded wordlessly. She saw a Buzz-Cam flying into her field of view, as though looking for her post-match statement. She reached out, crushing it in her grip.

"Not today." She said as she looked outside, seeing a couple of Skullgators appearing. "Lion Fire Megazord! POWER UP!"

Over on Manalua, in a graveyard there, two young men were standing by one of the graves, one of them, a Hispanic looking man with spiky hair was holding a baby, while the other, a young blonde man was kneeling by the grave.

"You should see Kimberly; she's already running rings around Lauren." Jayden told his dad as he spoke to him. "It took a while to get through the paperwork, but it finally came through. I'd like you to meet your other granddaughter Stephanie."

Antonio held the baby a little closer as Jayden reached out to the grave.

"I really wish you could have met her. She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Jayden told him. "I really miss you dad. I just...really wanted you to see this."

"Jay, we should probably get going." Antonio told him, tapping him on the shoulder. "Lauren and Jeremy will be wondering where we are."

"Sorry, I guess I just lost track of time." Jayden replied, looking back to the gravestone. "Sorry dad, I guess I never did learn much about punctualit...HEY!"

Jayden stumbled and fell as someone bumped into him. Al looked to the young man apologetically.

"I'm sorry." He stated.

"Yeah, watch where you're going!" Antonio said abruptly, holding Stephanie closer, protectively.

"It's alright, I'm sure it was an accident." Jayden assured him as he got up. "Don't worry about..."

Unfortunately, Al and Jerry had already passed by.

"OK, that was rude!" Antonio said as he looked to Stephanie, making soothing sounds as he bobbed her up and down.

"Is it just me or did something seem off there?" Jayden asked.

"Like what?" Antonio asked.

"It just really seemed like that guy REALLY didn't want to be here!" Jayden stated.

"Jayden, it's a graveyard! I don't think anyone really wants to be here!" Antonio reminded him.

"Oh yeah? What about that then?" He asked as they saw Trevor and Spike coming into the graveyard, looking around. Spike pointed in the direction they went and they both headed down that path.

"Jayden..."

"Take Alex and go." Jayden told him.

"Jayden, the cops are here, it's not our problem!" Antonio answered.

"I just want to take a look." Jayden told him. "I won't take any risks, I promise."

"Why do I not take much reassurance hearing that from the guy that took on Dekker single-handed?" Antonio asked as he dutifully took their daughter and left, while Jayden headed into the graveyard, taking care not to be seen.


	16. Goodwill Hunting

Al led Jerry along the path through the graveyard in Manalua, knowing that pretty soon he was going to have run out of options. Jerry was already twitchy, and it looked like his patience was starting to wear thin. Al knew that pretty soon he was going to want to hear something other than 'It's not much further.' The only reason that Jerry hadn't snapped before now was because he was convinced Al actually had something to offer him. He was convinced that Al had managed to hide all, or at least some of the money that they had defrauded unwary investors out of, keeping it somewhere out of reach so that he could collect when the heat was off, or to use when a rainy day came along.

"This place gives me the creeps." Jerry told him.

"I had to think of somewhere we weren't likely to be interrupted." Al answered.

"We?" Jerry asked him. "You seemed happy enough to let me rot in jail."

"Alright, we're here." Al told him as they finally came to their destination. Jerry looked around, trying to figure out what he was here to see. He looked down to the grave that Al was standing beside.

"What? You buried the records?" Jerry asked him. "You actually buried documents worth millions of dollars? In a graveyard?"

"Look around Jerry, no one's around." Al told him. "That's what I wanted."

"You're inventive, I'll give you that." Jerry stated, pulling out the gun. "Alright, get to work, start digging."

"I'm not digging up a grave Jerry." Al stated.

"I don't think you're in much of a position to dictate what you're doing." He said a little menacingly as he levelled the gun.

"I'm not digging because there's no money Jerry! There never was!" Al told him. "I wasn't lying when I said what wasn't lost was recovered and returned to its rightful owners."

"No…no…you're lying! You're just trying to screw me again!" Jerry stated. "You would never…"

"I didn't hide anything Jerry!" Al told him. "When we were caught I gave the Feds everything! EVERYTHING! The partners, the traders, the documents, the passwords the account codes, I gave them the lot!"

"If that's true then what are we doing here?" Jerry asked him.

"Look at the grave Jerry." Al stated.

"What?" He asked in confusion.

"Look at the God-Damned grave!" Al yelled at him. Jerry kept the gun on him, but cast a look at the grave.

"Clyde Jenkins, born August 28 1993, died September 3 2012." Jerry read aloud. "I…I don't get it."

"Clyde was the kid that was shot in the school siege." Al informed him. "You know, that siege where Hudson held a bunch of kids hostage and held your daughter at gunpoint to bring you to the school?"

"You brought me here…?"

"I brought you here to show you the only result that matters in what we did!" Al snapped at him. "That kid was 19 when he was killed and the only reason he was even there was because we flushed his family's money down the drain!"

"You expect me to buy that bullshit?" Jerry asked him.

"By this point I don't really care if you believe me or not. I've tried everything to convince you, but now…now I'm just glad we're away from my family." Al told him.

"If you think…?"

"Come on Jerry, let's be honest, what were the odds you weren't going to pull that trigger regardless of what happened?" Al asked him. "If you got what you wanted, I'd have been a loose end. I'm a numbers guy, I know there's virtually no way I walk away from this. All I could do is make sure when it happened it didn't happen somewhere my daughter would walk in and find her dad lying on the living room floor."

"STOP LYING!" Jerry screamed at him, the desperation obvious in his voice. He had already committed a number of felonies. Abduction, carrying a firearm as a convicted felon, assault with a deadly weapon. By now if he was caught, he was pretty much going down for good and he knew it. His only way out was to hope that he could get the money he was convinced Al had and flee the country.

"He's not lying!" Trevor called out as he and Spike arrived, training their guns on him. "Put it down and put your hands where we can see them!"

"The…the cops? How did you…?" He looked to Al, who just nodded.

"I pulled the credit card out of the gas pump." He told him. "That put the cops on your trail. I didn't think they'd end up here so quickly, but I figured at least they'd catch up with you before you could get back to Summer Cove and my family."

"Stay out of this!" Jerry told them. "This is between me and him…"

"We can't do that Mr Goodwill." Spike told him. "You're holding a gun on an unarmed man. We can't just walk away from that."

"If you don't put the gun away, we will have no option but to open fire!" Trevor warned him. Spike observed the situation unfolding, seeing the state Jerry was in, seeing how twitchy he was and he made a judgement call. He uncocked his gun, put on the safety and put the pistol away in his holster. "Skullovitch, what the hell are you doing?"

"Mr Goodwill, this…this isn't you." Spike said, trying to move around to where he could see him. He took off his hat to make sure that Jerry could see his face. "We might not have known each other well, but I knew you before all of this."

"We know each other?" Jerry asked him.

"I…I dated Melanie for a little while." Spike informed him. "It's me, Spike."

"Spike?" He asked. "That stupid punk kid that she went out with?"

"Yeah, that's right." Spike told him. "Please, just…let's talk."

"Skullovitch, you better know what you're doing!" Trevor muttered to himself.

Back in Summer Cove, Sarah slipped in through her bedroom window, hoping that her absence wouldn't have been noticed. She had no choice but to spike her mom's cocoa in order to leave to battle Wrench, but she still didn't really know how long she could expect it to work. It wasn't as though she had much time to do any kind of meaningful calculations to make sure that it would keep her mother unconscious long enough to deal with Wrench. She crept slowly downstairs and satisfied herself with a sigh of relief that her mom was still sleeping.

Heading into the living room, she quietly approached the couch and gently started to work her way onto the couch and taking her mother in her arms. She felt her mom starting to stir as she did so, and was grateful that she hadn't overdone it on the meds. Ellie looked up to her a little groggily, and smiled, satisfying herself her daughter at least was here, safe and sound where she could see her.

"Hey there sweetheart." Ellie greeted her daughter. "What…did…did I just…?"

"You fell asleep." Sarah assured her. "We've been up all night. I know I'm pretty exhausted too."

"Has there been any word yet about your dad?"

"Nothing new unfortunately." Sarah told her semi-truthfully. She could only hope that the police hadn't tried to contact them while she was out. She wanted to be there if there was any new word. It still pained her to think that there was little they could do to try and help. Sarah didn't really care too much about 'The rules', namely the policy they had against using powers for personal gain. If she thought it would mean her dad would come home, she'd morph without a second thought. None of them even really knew who came up with that rule in the first place, or what if anything they would do about it if they did break it. Of course, right now Sarah wasn't at all concerned. If her dad came home safely, then she was willing to wear whatever consequences would come her way. If someone told her she wasn't allowed to be a Ranger anymore, she would turn in her morpher without ever looking back as long as she got to hug her dad again. "Want me to call in and check?"

"They told us we need to keep the line clear for any new leads." Ellie reminded her. "I'm sure they'll call if there's anything new to tell us."

With that, Sarah grabbed her mom and held her tightly. She didn't know if praying would help, but right now, she was willing to give anything a try.

Back on Manalua, Spike was speaking with Jerry, trying to keep him calm as he spoke with him. He knew that things weren't looking good, any situation with a gun involved had a really bad habit of turning really bad really fast. Spike had first-hand knowledge of that.

"Mr Goodwill, please, put the gun down." Spike said to him. "No one's been hurt yet. I…I don't know what will happen, but we can do what we can to help you."

"Don't try to patronise me kid! I already know how this goes!" Jerry told him. "Everything's done for me! It's all done!"

"No, it's not!" Al told him. "I know that things look bad, but it's not the end…"

"That's easy for you to say! Everything worked out just fine for you!" Jerry said as tears started to run down his face. "Here you are with your family intact, a new business, a nice home…"

"You think all of that came EASY?" Al yelled at him. "I worked SO hard to get all of that!"

"Your wife didn't leave…"

"If you think I didn't almost lose Ellie you really don't know a thing about me!" Al told him. "I was so close to losing everything. I needed to work so hard to keep her! Ellie was so close to having my bags packed and thrown out in the driveway I consider it a miracle I didn't end up on the street!"

"You got that job and that house…"

"I worked for all of that!" Al told him.

"No one's giving me a break!" Jerry stated. "I'd be fine if everything was so easy…"

"That's just it Jerry, things aren't SUPPOSED to be easy for guys like us!" Al roared. "I lived at the bottom of a bottle for a couple of years, and getting off it is the hardest thing I've ever done. You think that's over? Every God damned day I wake up and one of the first thoughts through my mind is how much I just want a little vodka to take the edge off things! You want to know why I brought you here? Look at that grave stone! That's the first thing I've thought about every day for six years and the last thing on my mind every fucking day!"

"Al…"

"That kid is DEAD! He's dead because of what we did and there isn't one thing I can do no matter how long I live to make that right!" Al yelled at him. "I work every day to prove to my wife that I'm the man she married, that she and Sarah are the most important thing in the world to me! I haven't been able to help Sarah with her homework since she was fourteen but I do everything I can to make sure she knows I'm not the idiot who let her almost blow her fingers off because he was too busy trying to scam people out of their life savings! That business I have now, I'll never be able to get all the money I owe back if I live to be a hundred, but if I can give something back, if I can help a few people get a fair shake out of live, I'm going to do that for as long as I'm able to."

"Mr Goodwill, everyone does bad things. I know everyone here has done things that they wish they hadn't." Spike told him. "Not all of them we can do anything about, but what matters most is that we try."

"I…I don't know if I can." Jerry said as he started to waver a little. "I feel like everything I've touched has fallen apart…"

"Not everything." Spike told him. "I saw Melanie a couple of months ago."

"Melanie?" He asked.

"Yeah, she and Mal came to my graduation." Spike told him. "Mal's got a musical on the road right now, they're on tour with it. They're going to be coming through Summer Cove in a few weeks. They've already promised me backstage passes. We're meeting for dinner."

"Melanie's doing shows now?" Jerry asked. Spike just nodded.

"They're in small theatres all across the country. They really love it!" Spike told him. "She's doing something she really loves, and she's so happy. That's something that you were a part of."

"Melanie's happy?" He asked. Spike could see his grip on the gun starting to relax and started to approach slowly, nodding reassuringly.

"She is." Spike told him. "Now please, give me the gun. Let's not see this end badly. Let's all just go home."

Jerry looked to the gun, and then to Spike, who was holding out his hand.

"Please." Spike beckoned him again. Jerry started slowly making his way towards him, holding out the gun. Just as he was about to hand over the gun, he saw something moving through some bushes, moving quickly. In a panic, his grip tightened on the gun and it went off. He stared at Spike in horror as his eyes went wide, before he fell over backwards, blood seeping from a wound in his stomach at an alarming rate.

Jayden got to him and swept the gun from Jerry's hand, taking him to the ground hard. Trevor ran to Spike's side, kneeling down next to him.

"SPIKE!" He called out, placing his hands immediately on his stomach, trying to stem the flow of blood. "Spike, stay with me…"

"It's alright, I've got him down." Jayden said, looking back to Trevor and Spike. "Oh my God, how is he?"

"What did you do?" Trevor screamed at him. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"I…I…I saw the gun, I came to…"

"He was giving the gun over! Spike had it covered!" Trevor screamed at him. "THIS IS YOUR FAULT!"

"I…I didn't know!" Jayden stammered. "I saw him with the gun pointed at Spike and…"

Trevor levelled his gun at Jayden.

"That's just the problem with you! You NEVER think! You NEVER face up to the responsibility of what you do!" He yelled at him.

"What are you doing?" Jayden asked.

"Put the sword down and put your hands behind your back!" Trevor warned him. "You're under arrest!"

"I didn't mean for…"

"That's just the problem, none of you ever MEAN for things to happen!" Trevor interrupted him. "You rush in all spandex and giant robots and leave everyone else to pick up the pieces and I for one am sick of it!"

"I was only trying to help!" Jayden protested. Trevor fired off a shot into the air.

"You want to help, go to the academy, learn the rules and put on a badge and a uniform like the rest of us!" Trevor told him. "That was your one and only warning shot! Now put the sword down!"

Jayden knew that he couldn't stay, he was only going to make things worse by staying. He had already inadvertently escalated a situation that Spike had almost contained. Trevor fired a round, which rebounded off Jayden's helmet, knocking him to the ground. Jayden scrambled quickly and ran as Trevor fired after him. As Jayden disappeared, he turned his attention back to Spike, running back to his side and placing a hand on his stomach.

"You…you…"

"Don't try to talk Spike." Trevor beckoned him, getting on his radio. "This is Officer Marx, we have an officer down at Manalua graveyard, requesting medical back-up."

"You…you called me Spike." Spike coughed. Trevor just nodded.

"I did." He replied, getting back on his radio. "Officer Marx, requesting urgent medical back-up, we have an officer down at Manalua graveyard."

Over at the Thompson House, Sarah was in the kitchen, attempting to make something for dinner. Although neither she nor her mother really felt much like eating, the fact was that neither of them had eaten for most of the day.

She wasn't really concentrating too much on what she was doing, and was finding even the simplest of microwave meals difficult to navigate. She had put the same macaroni through the microwave now half a dozen times and found it stone cold each time before she realised that she had it on the defrost setting.

As the phone started ringing, her mother sprang off the couch with the kind of energy that was totally unexpected and unnatural for someone so deprived of sleep and food. Sarah stood back for a minute as her mom answered the phone.

"Hello?" She asked. "Yes, this is Mrs Thompson."

"Mom, speaker!" Sarah beckoned her. Ellie just nodded in realisation, before putting the phone on speaker.

"Yes, this is Captain Edwards. I wanted to be the one to give you this news in person." He told them. "We've found your husband."

"Is he…?"

"He's on his way to the hospital for a check-up, but as near as we can tell he's going to be just fine." The Captain told her. Both Sarah and Ellie breathed a massive sigh of relief up on hearing this. "We'd have taken him straight home, but we wanted to let a doctor check him out."

"Oh, thank God! You have no idea…who found him? How can we…?"

"It was Officer Marx and Officer Skullovitch that found him." He told them. "You don't need to thank them, it's all part of the job, but I'm sure they'll appreciate it."

"Which hospital are they going to?" Ellie asked him.

"Central Summer Cove." He informed them. "They're being taken by helicopter and should be there shortly. If you speak to the patrolmen outside, they'll be more than happy to take you there."

"Thank you for everything you've done!" Ellie said as she hung up the phone. She turned to Sarah and grabbed her tightly, both of them embracing in sheer joy to hear that soon Al would be back with them.

"Thank you for being here Sarah." She told her. "I don't think I'd have been able to do this without you!"

"It's alright mom." Sarah said, holding her tightly. "It's alright."

Meanwhile, in Manalua, in the waiting area of a restaurant, Lauren was holding her new niece Stephanie, getting to know the latest addition to her family while her fiancé Jeremy kept their daughter Kimberly busy with a colouring book. Antonio was pacing impatiently.

"She is absolutely gorgeous; you guys are so lucky!" Lauren said as she cooed over her new niece. "The adoption agency made a really good choice picking you guys."

"Yeah, we're both really stoked about it." Antonio said as he checked his watch again. He muttered something under his breath in Spanish.

"You know, I think we'd appreciate it if you wait until the girls are a little older before you teach them that kind of language." Jeremy chuckled.

"I'm sorry, Jayden said he'd be right behind us." Antonio told them. "My husband never was the best with punctuality."

"Speak of the devil!" Jeremy said as they saw Jayden finally arriving. "Jayden, my man! For a moment I thought we were about to lose our reservations!"

"Yeah, um…I'm sorry about that." Jayden answered him. "I'm really, very sorry."

"Jayden, what's wrong?" Lauren asked him, noticing that Jayden was looking more than a little jittery than normal.

"I've made a big mistake." Jayden told them. "I think…I've done something really bad!"


	17. Hospital Visit

Ellie and Sarah arrived at the hospital, just as a team was arriving down the elevator from the helipad. They had been assured that Al was on his way by helicopter, being brought directly from Manalua. They were naturally expecting the worst, and seeing a stretcher being wheeled in with numerous bags attached to it really didn't help matters. Ellie was beside herself as she rushed towards the stretcher, and Sarah was trying hard to keep her from getting in the way.

"I'm going to have to ask you to stay back ma'am, this man is seriously injured." One of the paramedics told her. She didn't even register as she was trying to protest that Al came up beside her. He turned her towards him, at which the three of them took each other into a tight embrace, like they never wanted to let go and risk even being a few feet apart ever again. They were pushed gently to the side to allow the stretcher to pass. It was quite some time before any of them were able to speak again.

"I'm so glad you're here. I was so scared I'd never see you again." Al told them, kissing both his wife and his daughter in quick succession. "I'm sorry…"

"Thank God you're alright." Ellie screeched as she kissed him again and again, holding onto him like his life depended on it. Sarah held onto him too. A small flare of her power let her know that her dad hadn't suffered more than minor injuries. Likely from the scuffle when he was taken. She was relieved that he was alright. While she was certain that he was likely going to be taking it easy for a little while, and certainly not taking any major adventures for some time, he did appear to be healthy for the most part. She just looked down the hall.

"The stretcher, who's on the stretcher?" Sarah asked. "Is that Mr…"

"It's not Jerry, they managed to take him in. He's in a holding cell in Manalua awaiting transfer to a suitable facility for interrogation." Al told them.

"Then who is it?" Sarah asked.

"It's that kid Trevor's showing the ropes." Al told them. "He was trying to talk Trevor down when a Ranger showed up and then there was a shot and…he's been hit."

"Oh my God, is he…?"

"I don't know, they were working on him in the helicopter." Al told them.

"Remind me to give that kid the biggest hug I'm able to muster as soon as he's able." Ellie stated, seizing her husband again. A doctor came over, noticeably reluctant to interrupt the scene. He finally managed to rouse their attention with a gentle cough.

"Mr Thompson, we should really run a few checks." The doctor told him.

"I'm fine." Al told him. "You should concentrate on the kid who just got shot."

"Officer Skullovitch is in good hands." The doctor assured him. "We really just want to be sure you're alright."

"Can we go with you?" Ellie asked him.

"We really shouldn't…" He could see the look on Ellie's face, the one that said they would pretty much need a crowbar and a willing team of mules to get her to leave her husband's side right now. "If you stay to the side and let us work, one of you can be in the room with us. We just want to make sure we're thorough."

"It's alright mom." Sarah assured her. "I'll not be far."

"Alright." Al conceded, kissing Sarah on the forehead. "Where do you want us to go?"

"We have an available examination room right here." The doctor replied. "Just this way. I promise we won't keep you long, we'll get you checked in and then…"

"Checked in?" Al asked. "But I'm fine!"

"We'd really like to keep an eye on you to make sure." The doctor told him. "Please, I promise you that we'll get you a room where your family can be close by."

"Fine, whatever." Al told him. "Look, I know you can't give out information on patients without consent but…"

"I promise you I'll keep you informed of Mr Skullovitch's condition." The doctor told him.

"Thank you." Ellie answered. "Can you at least tell us when he's up to seeing visitors? We owe that young man so much."

"I'll make sure as soon as he's fit enough to receive visitors we'll let you know." The doctor answered. "Now, if you please."

"Of course." Al sighed. "The sooner we do this, the sooner I can have both my girls with me again."

"I promise I won't go far." Sarah assured him. "I'm not going anywhere."

With that, Al and Ellie were taken to an examination room, leaving Sarah in the hallway by herself. She went over to a chair in the waiting area, flopping down, on a chair to wait on any word on her dad or the man she owed for bringing him back to her.

In another part of the city, Marcus Tien was in his living room, pacing as he spoke on the phone rapidly. By now news of the kidnapping had hit all the local news stations and was being broadcast pretty much non-stop. His first instinct as soon as he had heard that Al was gone was to start making calls and calling in every favour he could think of in the hopes of finding him. Now that he knew that the perpetrator had been caught and Al had been found, he was going out of his way to try and help in any way he can.

"Yes, I know it's not…I just want to make sure this incident receives the attention it deserves!" Marcus said as he talked on the phone. "Yes, you heard me right, I want the officer that was shot to get the very best care. Whatever equipment you need, the best experts, consider this a blank check book. I want absolutely nothing left to chance. Also, I would like to think that the District Attorney's Office is going to pursue this to the fullest…alright…yes, thank you for taking my call. Give your regards to your wife for me."

As he hung up, he noticed Preston coming into the room. His son was hanging around at home, having been involved in some kind of accident. He still wasn't sure about the exact details, Preston had told him he was attempting some kind of new trick when a box collapsed or a platform fell over or…if he was honest he wasn't really listening. It wasn't as though Preston hadn't occasionally ended up with minor injuries in his pursuit of bigger and more spectacular tricks. As long as he wasn't trying anything that was likely to kill anyone or land anyone in the hospital, Marcus just kind of accepted some time ago that trying to tell him 'no' was only likely to lead to them being even further estranged. Preston had pretty good self-preservation instincts and tended to learn his lessons pretty quickly whenever he needed to see the school nurse.

"Dad, have you seen the news?" Preston asked. Preston wasn't exactly much of a news hound, but then a kidnapping was pretty huge news. Marcus wasn't exactly surprised that breaking bulletins would interrupt other programming. He put away his phone.

"I was going to call you, I promise you Preston." Marcus assured his son. "I've been on the phone to the hospital. Mr Thompson has been brought there, I'm perfectly certain Mrs Thompson and Sarah are already there."

"Can we…"

"Go and get your jacket." Mr Tien told him. "Like I said, I was just about to call you. The driver is bringing the car around."

"Thanks dad." Preston said as he grabbed a hoodie. Marcus put on his coat and guided his son towards the elevator. Hopefully by the time they got there, there would be some good news.

Trevor was in a side-room, pacing impatiently as he waited for word on his partner. Spike had been very brave throughout the whole ordeal, but somewhere on the helicopter ride from Manalua, he had passed out. Trevor still didn't really know whether it was the drugs that he was given for the pain or the blood loss, or whether he had just finally succumbed to the pain, but the only thing he knew was that they were working now to save his life.

Gunshot wounds were a fact of life in police work sadly. Trevor himself had been shot in the line of duty on three occasions in his career. He did have a little bit of experience with the wrong end of a gun and knew all too well how badly things could go. Spike had taken a hit in the stomach, which itself was already pretty bad news. It wasn't like there were many good places to get shot, but the stomach was something of a lottery that only really had bad, not so bad and catastrophic prizes. Even if the bullet missed the spine, there were a lot of really bad targets in there. The gallbladder, the spleen, the kidneys, the intestines…all of them were organs that housed fluids that were toxic to the human body outside of their respective organs. If the shock and blood loss of the original injury didn't finish someone off, it wasn't unknown for someone to be literally poisoned by their own body.

He was still covered in Spike's blood, having crouched over him, pressing his hands onto his stomach to keep as much of his blood from pumping out of him as humanly possible. Even then, given how much was left at the scene and all over Trevor's hands, shirt and pants it was pretty clear that Spike would need a transfusion. It was fortunate that there were already a number of members of the department, Trevor included, who were willing to volunteer. Trevor was fortunate enough to be O negative, the universal donor, and had been a regular donor to the hospital. He just needed to wait on the call.

His blood boiled as he thought back to incident. He had been covering Jerry with his weapon while Spike tried to talk him down. A part of him was questioning Spike's good sense when he put his own weapon away, but as a strong supporter of community policing, he had a lot of admiration for his decision and he was proud of the kid for trying. It wouldn't be the first time that Trevor had done something similar himself more than once. He was impressed with how good the kid was too. While he had been a little sceptical about him being so fresh out of the academy, even with his impressive scores, he had seen with his own eyes that Spike was a natural negotiator. His pitch, his tone, his body language, his instincts, all of them were spot on, things that he knew officers who had been in the field for years lacked. He had seen Spike reach Jerry and speak to him, getting him to realise the futility of his situation while not erasing hope and causing him to do something stupid. He was only inches, mere inches from having his hand on the gun. Another second or two and Spike would have had the gun and the whole thing would have ended with a beer and a bunch of cops giving the kid a big head talking him up. Then, the Red Ranger got involved!

Trevor had barely seen the Red Ranger himself before the gun went off. All he really saw was something red moving quickly from a little out of his field of view. He had run in where he didn't belong, got involved in something that was none of his business, all in the name of being a 'hero', and now Spike was the one that was paying the price. He looked to the door as it opened, seeing his wife coming in.

"Debra!" He said as he approached her, stopping himself from hugging her only because of the blood on his uniform. Debra could see the hesitance in him and decided to take the choice out of his hands, hugging him.

"Thank God you're alright." She breathed as she came and embraced him tightly. "Are you alright? What happened? Did…?"

"I'm fine, it's Spike that took the hit." Trevor told her. "This…this is all his."

"Oh my God, is he going to be alright?" She asked.

"It's a little early to start cashing in bets." He answered her. "They're still working on him. I've already asked the Captain to contact his family."

"They have to be beside themselves, I know all I heard was the word 'gunshot' and I…pretty much can't remember a thing between hanging up the phone and now." She admitted. "So, do they have the guy?"

"He's been transferred to the local holding facility. They're holding him on remand until he can appear before a judge." Trevor answered, the bitterness obvious in his voice. "He's a little banged up but other than that none the worse for wear."

"Well, that's a good thing, right?" Debra asked him. "I mean, at least this way he gets to be put on trial and…"

"And he would never have shot ANYONE if it wasn't for the Red Ranger sticking his nose where it doesn't belong!" Trevor snapped as he slammed a fist into the wall.

"Trevor…"

"Spike had that covered! Jerry was handing over the gun! He was giving up! Spike almost had it in his hand before he showed up!" Trevor continued.

"Wait, hold on a second, the Red Ranger was there?" She asked. "I thought the Rangers had been taken down. The last monster battle on the television it was only the Pink Ranger that was still standing!"

"Well, he showed up there, swinging his sword and just made everything worse." Trevor told her.

"But the news never said anything about a Ranger even being there." Debra informed him. Trevor just rolled his eyes.

"Of course, it didn't!" He scoffed. "The mayor no doubt wouldn't want the city's latest tourist attraction getting bad press even if they did cause a cop to end up in a hospital!"

"Trevor, please calm down." Debra said soothingly, taking him by the arm. "I know how you feel about the Rangers, but they do a lot of good in the city. Maybe…maybe the Red Ranger just made a mistake."

"When one of us makes a mistake, we're investigated and if necessary we face punishment. That's what has to happen when people have power, they need to be held to account for their mistakes!" Trevor ranted at her. "I carry a gun and I need to fill out a stack of reports this high if I open fire on a suspect. They run around with weapons that make a cruise missile look like a slingshot and they just get to go get pizza or play videogames or whatever the hell they do when they aren't destroying whole city blocks!"

"Trevor, try to calm down. This isn't doing anyone any good." Debra told him. "I know it upsets you when you see people get hurt, but getting yourself worked up like this isn't going to do Spike or anyone else any good."

"Officer Marx?" A nurse asked as she came in. "We've got a machine set up in the other room for you to donate."

"I'll be right through." He answered, following the nurse. Debra watched him go and took a moment to reflect. Although she would never have wished what happened on anyone, the moment she heard the word 'gunshot', her mind went to horrible places. Although she held nothing against Spike and hoped he would recover soon, she couldn't deny being glad to see that it wasn't Trevor.

Back in the waiting area, Sarah was sitting, waiting on word from the doctors that her dad had been checked in and she could see him. She looked up to the elevators as she saw Preston stepping off the elevator. He rushed towards her, carefully navigating his way around the other patients, grabbing her tightly. He felt a twinge of pain in his ribs, but he didn't care at all. He kissed her cheek gently as they parted.

"Sarah, is everything…?"

"Dad's alright, it wasn't him that got shot." Sarah told him. "It was Trevor's partner."

"Oh my God, is he alright?" Preston asked.

"We haven't heard anything yet, so…no news is good news, right?" She asked. "They're going to check my dad in overnight for observation, I'm just waiting until they finish examining him before they let me in. Mom's with him now."

"So…that was a pretty wild day huh?" He asked. She just nodded sadly. "I mean, I caught your battle with Wrench on the television."

"Oh, yeah, that was…I guess it went well." She stated.

"Went well?" Calvin asked, making his way over gingerly. "Sarah, you caved him up like slow-cooked pork!"

"Cal?" She asked. "Where did you…?"

"We were all sent here, remember?" Levi asked her. "We were all watching in the day-room."

"It was something else girl!" Hayley congratulated Sarah, offering her a fist-bump. "You absolutely crushed it!"

"I really didn't do much, it was the Lion Fire Armour mainly…"

"Yeah, except a ninja always knows that any weapon is only as good as the person that wields it." Levi reminded her. "You were on fire!"

"That's my girl alright!" Preston said proudly, holding her close. Sarah just smiled. For the first time in the day, she actually felt good.

"Um…say, where's Brody?" She asked. Levi looked around.

"Um…I thought he was right behind me!" He remarked. "I think I might know where he is."

He gestured to the others to follow him, which they did. He got to the door of one of the rooms and gestured to them to be quiet, before silently opening the door. Looking inside, the Rangers found Brody and Tom inside, sitting up on beds side-by-side with a large, 62" screen in front of them playing a football game. They both had chips. They both yelled out loud and threw their hands up as a touchdown was scored.

"Oh man, what is their defence made of, crepe paper?" Tom asked.

"Where has this game been all my life? I can't believe I never gave it a chance until now!" Brody said, crunching down some chips.

"You know, I know the owner really well. Once we're discharged I could probably swing us a couple of tickets to the box for one of their home games." Tom told him.

"Oh man, that would be EPIC!" Brody replied, high-fiving him, before turning his attention back to the TV. "Oh, for the love of…what the hell kind of call was that?"

"You'll flag that and you didn't flag Reyes? What the hell does that guy have to do to get a call? Pull out a chainsaw?" Tom protested as they both high-fived. Levi looked to the others and smiled.

"Well, at least someone had a good day." He responded. The others all laughed as they continued to watch them enjoy the game.

Up on the Warrior Dome, Wrench's systems came back online and he could now see himself back in his lab. Just as he'd intended, he had managed to retain his CPU by teleporting his head onto the ship while the rest of him was being hacked to pieces. He could see some kudabots working on a new body while Cosmo and Odious were standing a little way off.

"Well, that was certainly something now wasn't it?" Odious asked. "You really managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory there didn't you?"

"Oh, shut up!" Cosmo snapped. "It's not like you've come any closer! I did more in one week than you've done all year!"

"And yet, here you are, back in repairs." Cosmo told him. "You're lucky I like you Wrench, if the Champ had his way I'd have been putting your head into the garbage compactor!"

"But but…"

"Me…all I'm thinking about is the potential for a re-match." Cosmo told him. "But make no mistake Wrench, you're on thin ice!"

"But I…"

"You showed me what you CAN do Wrench, the fact you didn't deliver makes me REALLY question your value!" Cosmo told him. "Believe me, it's only the fact that my ratings this week were the highest they've been in weeks and pre-orders for the Pink Lion-Fire-Armour Power Ranger are through the roof that made me consider you as anything other than a funny little paperweight on my desk!"

He looked to the kudabots.

"Rebuild him, exactly as before, no expense spared." Cosmo told them, looking back to Wrench. "I'll just garnish your salary for it."

As he left, Odious just placed a hand on Wrench's head.

"So close and yet so far." She taunted him. "Your rise in this organisation has been meteoric Wrench, but the thing about meteors is sooner or later, they come crashing down!"

With that, she left. Wrench knew that this setback had put him in a very bad position, one that he was sure would put him firmly under the microscope from now on.

"I need to do something, something anything to get Cosmo to notice me!" Wrench said as he tried to think of a solution. His gaze caught onto some sample jars in the corner, one of which held a bronze, grilled mask, covered in genetic material. "No, I'm not that desperate yet…am I?"


	18. On The Mend

Sunday was a little more fraught than normal for the team. Most of them were still in the hospital, awaiting discharge so they could get back to school in time for the beginning of the week. One of the real downsides of being a Ranger was that no matter how badly they'd been beaten up, they really didn't have much option but to get back on their feet as quickly as possible.

Preston steadied Sarah as she looked a little pale and faint after removing her hands from Hayley's hip. She zoned out a little, and felt more than a little light-headed following the use of her power to help Hayley go from questionable to just seriously aching so that the doctor would release her once they got around to her examination.

"Whoa, are you alright?" Preston asked her. "Do you want to sit down? Take a nap? Should I get a doctor…?"

"And tell them what, that I'm absorbing the injuries of my friends?" Sarah grumbled. She was feeling more than a little spaced out, and her body was feeling incredibly warm as her healing factor worked overtime to try and keep her on her feet. None of the Rangers knew the extent of her abilities, and everyone was cautious not to just use Sarah as a human pain-killer and risk putting herself at risk. That didn't mean that occasionally, like now, they didn't have to swallow their pride. Preston was pretty much back on his feet, even if he did still feel slightly tender, and the last thing they could afford was being four Rangers down for another week. "You know, I notice you don't mind me using my powers when it's your pain."

"You OFFERED to help!" Hayley reminded her with a chuckle as Preston set her down. He pulled a stuffed unicorn out of her bag.

"Here, just rest up for a little while at least." He implored her. "I'm sure Levi can wait a little bit. Just…sit there while I go find some hot chocolate."

He kissed her on the cheek before running out. Sarah had a huge, bright smile on her face as he left. She looked over and saw Hayley grinning at her.

"What?" She asked.

"You two are just super adorable do you know that?" Hayley asked. "You remind me so much of me and Calvin."

"Yeah, because you two are such an old married couple." Sarah responded. Hayley pointed to the unicorn.

"So, is that something Preston got you?" She asked.

"Chunckle Chippy?" She asked. "No, I've had this since I was three. My mom and dad bought it at an amusement park because I liked it so much. They said they wanted to go for ice cream and I kept on shouting 'Chunckle Chippy' because I couldn't say chunky chip. The name kind of stuck."

"You are just too cute for words, aren't you?" Hayley asked her. "If we weren't such good friends, I think I'd be worried about you going after Calvin."

"Yeah, no offence but that would NEVER happen!" Sarah answered. "You two are so sickeningly into each other you couldn't be separated with a crowbar!"

"Hey there gorgeous!" Calvin greeted Hayley as he came in with a couple of coffees. "Guess who's officially been discharged!"

"I'm guessing you and Brody…probably Hayley as soon as the doctor has a look at her." Sarah answered. "Not to mention Levi once Preston lets me move again."

"Oh, don't think I'm not grateful!" Calvin told her. "My mom's great and all, but her insurance doesn't QUITE match Tom's so the TV in my room only gets the news channels. If I'd had to stay there another night I'd have gone REALLY crazy!"

"Hey guys, guess who just got his discharge papers?" Brody asked as he arrived.

"Yeah, I notice you guys don't mind me abusing my powers when it's YOUR pain." Sarah teased him. Brody put his arm around her.

"Well, you DID offer." He reminded her. Just then, Preston came back, carrying a couple of hot chocolates.

"OK, here you go." Preston said to her. "Do you need to rest up a little longer? You want…?"

"No, I better get this over with." She sighed, getting up. "One human band-aid coming right up!"

"She loves being the hero really." Hayley commented as they left. The doctor walked in, carrying his clipboard.

"Wow, this is one full room." He commented, looking around. "Huh…I've seen all you kids today. I don't know what you're taking but…"

"Oh, um…you know we just work out." Hayley stated.

"Yeah, eat right." Calvin said.

"Drink plenty of water, get a decent amount of sleep." Brody chipped in. The doctor just shook his head.

"Yeah, well whatever it is, this is looking REALLY good for my stats, so I'm just going to chalk it up to being an amazing doctor." He stated. "Alright, could you step out the room for a minute? I just need to give Hayley her check-up, but the way my shift is going I'm sure it'll just be a formality."

"OK then." Calvin said, kissing his girlfriend softly. "I'll be right outside."

"See you in a few minutes." Hayley responded as they headed out and closed the door. "OK, please tell me that you have an oral thermometer."

In one of the other rooms, Al was just starting to get dressed as he heard a knock on the door. He smiled, expecting to find his wife there to pick him up. The hospital had only kept him in overnight for observation, and he was taking that very literally. He was keen to get back home and back to his family as early as possible.

"That's what I like to see." Al stated. "A nice early pick-up…"

"Well, I'm pleased that you are happy." Mr Tien said as Al opened the door.

"Marcus?" He asked. "Um…what…what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to check on a friend…"

"Yeah, we're not friends." Al reminded him. "In fact, with the exception of physical violence, I think our past interactions place us about as far from being friends as possible."

"Yes, and I am well aware of the fact that is almost entirely my fault." Marcus said sadly as he came in. "It is a source of great regret to me."

"Yeah, well…I guess we could be on each other's Christmas card list?" Al offered, still not entirely certain what Marcus wanted. Marcus just looked to him.

"Well, while I do look forward to the Holiday Season as much as the next man, I was thinking perhaps there's something I could offer you that might just help with my past failings." Marcus told him.

"Marcus, given our past experience with deals, I really don't think…"

"What if I told you that I know who brought your old partner to Summer Cove?" Marcus asked him. Al's face went stony and he noticeably tensed up.

"What did you say?" He asked.

"I was just going to see that those responsible were held to account." Marcus told him. "I COULD handle it myself, but I was wondering if perhaps you'd like to come along."

Just then, Ellie came into the room, carrying her car keys.

"Alright, I've signed the paperwork, we can…" She paused as she saw Marcus standing in the room. "Marcus, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I just wanted to check…"

"Um, I've got something I need to do really quick." Al told his wife, kissing her on the cheek and grabbing his jacket. "Come on Marcus."

"Wait, where are you going?" She called after him.

"I'll pick up KFC for dinner on the way home!" He called back. "Love you!"

"What the hell?" Ellie asked. "Did I just miss something?"

In another room, Spike was sitting up on his bed, flicking through channels on his television, trying to find something to watch. He had a pretty comfortable room all things considered, and he had a great television package. He stopped as he got to one of his favourites.

"Oh man, I love this show!" Spike said as he settled back into his pillows. "Man, these Japanese game shows are crazy!"

"Japanese game shows?" Trevor asked as he came in, knocking the door gently. "Really? That's your thing?"

"Yeah, but I'm kind of focused. Manga, game shows, movies…I'm kind of really into Japanese culture thanks to my uncle Bulk." Spike told him.

"Did I hear my ears burning?" He heard someone say as he popped his head in the door.

"UNCLE BULK!" Spike screamed in delight as he saw him coming in. "MOM! DAD! You came!"

"Spike, I once jumped on the first plane when you got a concussion, do you really think I'm not going to come when I heard you'd been shot?" His mom asked him, hugging him gently. "Are you comfortable enough in here? Can we get the doctors to bring you more pillows? Another blanket?"

"Mom, it's fine, really I'm fine." Spike assured him. "This is Trevor, he's my partner."

"Trevor Marx." He introduced himself with a handshake.

"Hi, I'm Kimberly, this is my husband Eugene and his friend Farquis." Kimberly introduced them as she shook his hand.

"Pleased to meet you…wait…Eugene Skullovitch?" He asked.

"Yeah, that's right!" Skull answered him. Trevor just blinked for a moment.

"Well, I guess now I know how you're able to afford this room." Trevor said, looking around. "The department's medical insurance is a little more on the economy side of things."

"So, how are you feeling?" Bulk asked his nephew.

"I've definitely felt better." He conceded. "Everyone always talks about how it feels to be shot, like it's like being punched but I swear there's nothing that prepares you for it."

"Your son is one of the best probationers I've ever worked with. He pretty much talked that guy down like a pro." Trevor told them. "I have to say, when he put his gun away I was freaking out, but he was just amazing! I swear I've never seen someone with so much guts."

"Well, I've got a few less now that they've taken a few inches off my colon." Spike joked. Everyone in the room recoiled.

"Dude!"

"Too soon?" Spike asked.

"Trust me, your retirement party will be too soon for jokes like that!" Kim warned him, kissing his forehead. "And don't think we're not talking about the fact you weren't wearing your vest!"

"Mom, it was in the trunk…"

"A lot of good it did you there!" Bulk chastised his nephew.

"Aw, but it's really uncomfortable…"

"It'll be a lot LESS comfortable if I have to nail it to you!" Bulk warned him. "The department issues you those things for a reason!"

"I know." Spike muttered. "But you don't have to make such a fuss about it."

"Well, unfortunately the department is going to." Trevor told him. "Not only do you have a letter of commendation on your file and a nomination for an award, you're going to have to be inducted into the Calibre Club."

"Calibre Club?" Spike asked him.

"Seriously, the department still does that?" Kimberly asked him.

"What's the Calibre Club?" Spike asked his mom.

"It's some stupid thing some stupid macho thing some of the old-school types do." She said in an off-hand way. "It's a club for people that have been shot in the line of duty."

"And I get to join?" Spike shrieked, wincing as he pulled at his injury a little. Trevor put a hand on his shoulder and held him down.

"You definitely fit the entry qualifications." He told Spike. "I just need to get a hold of the bullet and we'll do the induction once you're out of here."

"I'll look forward to it!" He answered. Kimberly just shook her head in disbelief.

"Anyway, I guess I'll leave you and your family to it." Trevor told him. "I'll tell the rest of the guys at the precinct you said hi."

As he left, Spike's family all gathered around him.

"I can't believe you all came." He stated. "Come on in! I want hugs!"

Over in Mr Tien's office building, his investors were assembled, looking over the scale model of the resort he was only weeks from breaking ground on. His Japanese investor Mr Yoshida was at eye level to the project.

"I have to say, it'll be good to finally see this all underway." He commented. "This has already seen far more drama than I would have hoped for."

"It cost us a lot more than we originally anticipated, but it's good to finally see things going our way." Russel said with a smile.

"Gentlemen, sorry I'm late." Marcus said as he stepped off the elevator into the room. "I was unavoidably detained."

"Wait a minute, what's he doing here?" Mr Popov, the Russian investor asked, pointing at Al as he was walking in.

"Oh, Mr Thompson is here at my invitation." Marcus told them. "I thought he might like to see this."

"This man cost us all a fortune!" Mr Russel snapped. "He did everything he can to derail this deal…"

"I never wanted to stop the deal, the resort would be great for the city." Al corrected him. "I just wanted to make sure my clients got a fair slice of the pie."

"But on the subject of this deal, I just wanted to make one slight adjustment." Marcus told them. "All of you are going to bow out."

All of them started to laugh hearing this.

"Are you serious?" Mr Popov asked him. "What makes you think we'd give up a goldmine like this?"

"Oh, there's just a small matter of attempted murder." Al told them. The mood in the room suddenly changed.

"I really don't know what you…"

"Funny thing, you may or may not have seen on the news but I just got a visit from one of my old investment partners." Al told them. "It wasn't exactly a friendly reunion. In fact, he abducted me and tried to kill me!"

"I'm really sorry to hear that, but I don't really see what that has to do with us." Mr Popov protested.

"He seemed to be under the impression that I had a bunch of money that I didn't, and he told me that someone else told him I did." Al continued. "Jerry was a good investment broker but he was hardly a master criminal. Someone put him up to it."

"You're accusing us?" Mr Youshida asked. "Slander is a very serious matter Mr Thompson, I certainly hope for your sake you don't repeat your words outside of this office!"

"It's funny you should say that Mr Yoshida, because the Yaxley scam was widely reported, but my name was not on the court transcripts. Part of my plea deal was anonymity." Al stated. "Which means that the only people that knew I was involved were the authorities and, of course, the Yaxley group themselves…which included you!"

Mr Yoshida looked like he wanted to say something, but his long period of silence already let them know that what Al had said was true.

"Oh, there's also what Al said about Mr Goodwill and the fact he's hardly a master criminal." Marcus stated. "You see, he managed to procure not one, but two untraceable cars and even managed to get a hold of an unregistered firearm. Both acts that are a little beyond a glorified bean counter."

"Well, the man had just gone to prison." Mr Popov replied. "People have a habit of picking up new skills…"

"Yes, I'm really sure a lot of arms dealers and car thieves go to the minimum-security spa he went to." Marcus told them. "But after a little digging, what I did find out that was somewhat interesting was that you Mr Popov run a garage."

"And one of the many businesses on your portfolio Mr Russel is a string of gun stores." Al stated.

"Well, as interesting as all of that is, I would say the technical term for all of that would be circumstantial." Mr Russel said. "Now, perhaps we should re-visit Mr Popov's statement about slander…"

"Oh, but there's just one more thing, one that none of you factored into your plan." Marcus said, pulling out a picture. "This is a still taken from the security cameras at the Sunview Motel, where Mr Goodwill was staying."

"And which Marcus owns by the way." Al said with a smirk. "Do you recognise that man Mr Russel? You should do, it's your bodyguard!"

Mr Russel stared at the picture for a moment or two, before looking up to Marcus and Al.

"I'm perfectly certain you never intended to see things come this far. Perhaps you just wanted to scare Mr Thompson here so that he would think twice about disrupting your businesses in the future." Marcus stated. "I'm also sure that this isn't likely to lead to any prosecutions, you've certainly tried very hard to keep your connections under wraps and I know you all have very fancy lawyers, but I'm also well aware that none of you want these facts going to the local police."

"You see, one of their guys was shot because of this." Al told them. "They tend to not look too kindly on that kind of thing, and I'm sure you'd like it if they didn't suddenly start to remember to pay VERY close attention to your businesses!"

"Not to mention the press will just love a story like this." Marcus added.

"Marcus, you can't be serious…"

"I have done a lot of very questionable things in my time but you sent an armed man to a family home!" Marcus told them. "That is why all of you are going to pull out of the resort. I no longer wish to have any business with any of you!"

"Also, you're all going to settle ALL your outstanding lawsuits with my clients, with a fifteen percent increase on your initial offers!" Al stated.

"That is outrageous…"

"And if I see ANY of you in this city again then every newspaper, cable access news show and blog will hear all about all of this!" Al interrupted them. "This is a one-time offer and since I'm only one day removed from my wife and daughter having to carry on without me, I'm really not in the mood to negotiate so you have precisely five minutes to decide and get the hell out of my city!"

"We…"

"We accept." Mr Yoshida said in a defeated tone.

"Oh, there's just one more thing." Al said, before stepping up to Mr Russel and punching him in the face as hard as he could. He staggered backwards, crashing straight through the model of the resort onto the floor. Al shook out his hand.

"Would you like some ice?" Marcus asked.

"No thanks, I'm good." Al told him. "At least I will be once they're gone."

"Ah, I can help with that." Marcus said, looking to the investors. "Would you like security to escort you all out?"

Mr Popov helped Russel off the floor as he held a handkerchief to stem the blood running from his nose. The six men filed out of the room as Marcus looked to Al. He smiled.

"So…is this better than a Christmas card?" He asked him.

"So much better!" Al replied as he shook his hand. "So, do you and Preston have plans? I was going to hit KFC."

"You know, I've never actually eaten there." Marcus replied, pulling out his cell phone. "Preston, are you at the Thompson House? Oh, perfect! We're just on our way!"


	19. Anyone For Tennis

Monday morning, Sarah and Preston were walking into the school, Preston with his arm around her as she stared at her hoverboard.

"I just don't get it, I was sure that last adjustment would have got us at least as far as the school street." She told him. Preston just pulled her in closer.

"At least this time you didn't crash." He said as they came into the main lobby. When they got there, they saw Viera talking with Victor and Monty by the trophy cabinet. It was a little unusual to see her outside of the Command Centre without one of them, but just as they were about to intervene, they noticed something. She didn't seem to be in any kind of trouble or difficulty, in fact she was smiling and laughing with them as they talked to her. Victor seemed to be recanting one of his many tales of victory from over the years. He was pointing to the trophies, no doubt explaining some major feat he had accomplished to win them. In all fairness, he had actually earned them. Sarah had since found out that he was a lot more than just a blowhard obsessed with his own image, but that he was just a very driven person, who sought to live up to an idol. Of course, that didn't mean he didn't take more than a little too much pride in his accomplishments.

"And that one there is for swimming." He told her. "I beat the entire field by one and a half lengths!"

"Wow, that's really…really something." Viera said with a smile as she looked to Monty. "So, which ones in here are yours?"

"Oh…well…there really…"

"Oh, Monty's got LOADS of them! Just check this out!" Victor said as he pointed some out. "This one here was the mathlympics. He was the captain of our team, the word 'victory' doesn't even cover it. It was more like a massacre!"

Viera didn't really respond, she just kind of nodded politely as she listened to him. She wasn't really comfortable with the word 'massacre', she had seen what a real massacre looked like on more occasions than she would ever want to.

"The spelling bee, that one was a real crowning moment. He beat everyone else so convincingly, they just kept giving him words until they found one he couldn't get." Victor laughed. "They gave up when he got 'Antidisestablishmentarianism'."

"Is Victor acting as…Monty's wingman?" Preston whispered to Sarah, causing him to smile a little. It was becoming pretty obvious to anyone with a working brain cell that Monty had a five-star crush on Viera. Victor on the surface did seem to push Monty around a little, but Sarah had come to realise that he just wanted the best for the little guy, and tried to push him to help him out a little. She could see that Victor was indeed doing what he could to talk up his best friend to the prospective date.

"It looks that way." Sarah whispered back. "Hey, Viera how's it going?"

"Sarah, Preston!" She called out, gesturing them over. "Have you seen all of Monty's trophies?"

Sarah had to stifle a laugh there. She caught a glimpse of Victor, who would normally be upset that he wasn't getting the limelight, but here, he actually seemed to be smiling, and ever so slowly and quietly backing out. Yup, he was the wingman alright!

"Yeah, Monty's really done a lot!" Preston said, checking out a couple of the trophies. Most of Monty's achievements were as part of a team, like the mathlympics and the science bowl. He wasn't the kind of guy that really sought the spotlight, often getting uncomfortable on his own, but he did have a number of impressive accomplishments, and most of the people who had seen the events he had won would agree more often than not he carried his team. It was only really when Sarah showed up he had any real competition for his intellect.

"So, I'll see for…what was it you called it…Soo Cheee?"

"Sushi." Monty corrected her. "Yeah, I'll um…meet you right here. Just got to go set up an AV presentation now. See you around!"

As Victor and Monty left, Sarah saw that Viera was still watching them. She had to snap her fingers a few times to draw her attention.

"Hey, you seem to be making friends." Sarah complimented her.

"Yeah, I mean…it's Victor and Monty but…yeah, you seem to be fitting in well." He agreed.

"Oh, Preston! I'm glad it was you I ran into!" She told them. "I have something I REALLY need to show you! Something I just know you're going to love!"

"Really? What is…HEY!" Preston called out as she grabbed him in a surprisingly strong grip and started to drag him at speed down the hall towards the Shop Class. Just then, Victor and Monty were coming back with a large, flat-screen TV.

"Alright, she should be coming any minute now, we just need a little time to set this up." Victor said with a smile. "Thanks for doing this Monty."

"Hey, what can I say? What's the point in the President having the key to the AV closet if he doesn't use it once in a while?" He asked.

Over at the Police Department, Trevor was sitting at his desk, writing out a report. He hadn't really had much of a chance to cross the t's and dot the I's with regard to the incident on Manalua. He had spent almost all his time since then at the hospital. He had been given a certain amount of leeway, but the one thing it meant he sacrificed was that he hadn't sat in on the interview with Jerry himself. There was nothing he'd have loved more than to be in a room with him and get him to crack, to confess to a series of crimes that along with his original felony conviction would have sent him down for a LONG time. California still had the Three Strikes law, meaning that anyone convicted of three or more felonies would receive a mandatory 25-to-life sentence. While Spike was trying to convince Jerry he didn't face that, after shooting a fellow officer, Trevor was a lot less forgiving and was hoping that among his many crimes he could find at least one other felony to bring him up on so that he could utilise the shooting as strike three and send him down for good.

He looked up as the door opened and one of his fellow cops, Murphy came in. Murphy was a legend in the department. A career street-cop with more years under his belt than most of the others in the department combined. He was the head of the union, the locker-room authority when it came to disputes between officers that they didn't really want to take to official levels, and he was also the current President of the Calibre Club. The Calibre Club had a kind of unofficial hierarchy based not only on age and experience, but also the number of times someone had been shot in action and also the weapon they had been shot with. Surviving a 9mm shot was very different from taking a .44, and so there were people graded on how unlikely their survival was. Murphy was one of only three 12-gauge members, meaning he had survived a hit from a 12-gauge shotgun! Given the way a shotgun worked, especially at close range, most tended to be pretty much instantly lethal.

"How's the kid Marx?" He asked.

"He's doing as well as can be expected for someone that just had four inches of his intestines removed." Trevor sighed. "But he's in good spirits. That kid's as tough as they come. I wouldn't be surprised if we're seeing him back on duty as soon as the ink's dry on his HR release."

"I was a little sceptical about the kid before, but hearing about what happened, he sounds like one of the good ones." Murphy stated. Trevor just smiled.

"Hey, I was sceptical too, but after that, yeah, that kid can have my back any time." Trevor answered. "I wouldn't mind if he was my partner the rest of my career."

"So, did you get it?" Murphy asked. Trevor reached into his pocket and pulled out a bullet in a little plastic bag, tossing it to him.

"Ballistics got all they need from it." He stated. "So, we just need to get it to the jewellers."

"You know, seeing the way that kid dresses when he's not here, I'm not sure the chain is really going to suit him." Murphy joked. "Think he'd prefer an earring?"

"The kid's nothing if not a traditionalist, I think we should go with the chain." Trevor answered. "I just need to finish this up…"

Just then, the door opened again and a woman in a suit came in. She looked old, older than both of them, but carried herself with the kind of authority that completely dominated the room. She took the papers off the table.

"Is this the Manalua report?" She asked.

"Yes, it…" Trevor said as she set light to it with a lighter and tossed it in the trash. "HEY! What the hell?"

"This is your statement." She told him, putting down another report. "I'm sure you'll find it matches your handwriting and sentence structure. We just need your signature."

"Why don't you just forge that too?" Trevor snorted.

"Because we don't just need your statement, we need YOU to realise what your statement is." She answered.

"Who the hell are you anyway?" Murphy asked her.

"My name's Grace Sterling, and who I am and who I'm with are beyond your pay grade." She stated abruptly, shoving the statement to Trevor. "Now, sign it."

Trevor picked it up and read the statement. He scowled at it as he read it.

"This…this is bullshit!" He snapped. "There's not ONE MENTION of the Red Ranger!"

"There's a good explanation for that." Grace told him.

"Which is?" Murphy asked in response. She just stared at him, before pointing to the statement.

"We've already got a plea from Goodwill. We'll charge him with carrying a weapon as a convicted felon, but…"

"But the rest of it he gets away with." Trevor said, throwing his hands up. "What about the kidnapping? The assault? The…"

"The Thompsons aren't pressing charges. Mr Thompson said from the word go he felt partly responsible for what happened and didn't want Jerry to be punished too harshly." Grace interrupted him. "As for the shooting, well, he was handing over the gun. Sometimes they just…go off."

"I'm not signing my name to this shit!" Trevor replied. "That kid got shot because the Red Ranger…"

"I'm really disappointed to hear you say that." Grace told him. "After all, it's like you already said. It's not like we need you to actually sign it. It just needs to LOOK like you did. What happens to your career though, that's up to you."

"You do know you just said all of that in front of the union rep, right?" Murphy reminded her. Grace just smiled at him.

"A union rep who's scheduled to retire in a year." She reminded him. "That pension of yours is a lot to give up."

She looked to Trevor once more.

"You're one of the most respected officers in this precinct. You could be him some day, or you could be driven out of here with nothing." She told him. "Make a smart choice for your family."

Trevor picked up his pen and signed the statement, before throwing it at Sterling.

"Smart choice." She told him, before heading out the room. "Good day gentlemen."

With that, she closed the door behind them. Trevor looked to Murphy.

"Call the club together." He told him. "Tonight."

"Don't you have a thing with your kid?" Murphy asked.

"Hayley's got a lot on her plate right now anyway, I'll make it up to her later." Trevor told him. "Assemble the club, tonight!"

Back at the High School, Calvin pulled up into the parking lot in Nitro. Hayley got out, heading to the back where Kody was lying.

"Go to the base boy." She told him. "I'll come play with you later."

Kody ran off dutifully as Calvin came to her side.

"You know, no matter how many times I see you talk to Kody, I still always find it impressive." Calvin told her.

"Yeah, I love it too." She replied. "Not to mention you get a lot of great gossip from pets."

"That's a little creepy to think about." Calvin replied as they headed into the school. As they arrived, they found some people gathered around a large-screen TV. They could see Brody in the crowd and went to join him.

"What's all this about?" Calvin asked.

"Who knows?" Brody said with a shrug. "But Victor's looking for attention so you know, everyone just has to give it to him."

Victor was just checking over the setup one last time when he saw Hayley and smiled. He reached into his bag, pulling out a tennis racket. Hayley saw this and groaned.

"Oh no." She grumbled. Victor just nodded as he hopped up onto a table so that everyone could see him better and struck a pose with this racket across his shoulders.

"Attention please." He called out, beckoning everyone to gather around and pay attention, completely ignoring the fact they already were. He was only days away from finally achieving a goal he had long since wished to hold, attaining fifty trophies! The school had a long-standing record of forty-nine, one that he had equalled now, but he was always JUST out of reach of the fiftieth. The only reason he didn't have it now was because the school tennis trophy was an annual trophy and had expired, but they hadn't gotten around to holding the next one. "It has been one year since the school tennis contest, and in case you forgot, I was amazing!"

He then nodded to Monty, who started to play the footage. While it was very heavily edited and stylised to make Victor look as good as possible, it wasn't like they had to do too much. Victor really was a gifted athlete, and had played a game that was on a level that bordered on that of professional athletes. It ended with him being presented the trophy by a somewhat less than enthusiastic looking Principal Hastings. The kids all started to applaud, including Brody, but he noticed that Calvin and Hayley weren't joining in. He just looked to them both curiously.

"What?" He asked. "I know he's a big-headed jerk, but he did play a good game."

"Just wait for it." Hayley said, noticeably tense.

"My opponent on the other hand…wasn't." Victor said, introducing the second half of the clip. There were a lot of laughs from the crowd as they watched Hayley running around the court, making error after error. If Victor's performance looked just short of professional, Hayley's looked somewhat akin to someone with both feet tied together who had never held a tennis racket in her life! She was caught flat-footed on every exchange, and on a couple of occasions there were instant replays as she tripped over the net or face-planted into the court. Calvin held Haley as she tensed up so much it looked like her skeleton was about to pop out of her skin.

"I…had a bad day!" Hayley offered as everyone laughed at her. She had indeed had one of the worst games of her life. It wasn't that she wasn't an accomplished player, it was more down to the fact that on that day Victor outclassed her by such a huge margin that he made her look and feel completely helpless.

"Ah yes, game set and match to me without dropping a single point." Victor stated. "They say it was the worst defeat in school history!"

Calvin held onto Hayley, who looked decidedly less than happy about this whole show put on for her benefit. Victor could easily have just made an announcement of the contest without turning it into an exercise in humiliation.

"So, who wants to be my victim this year?" He asked. There weren't exactly many people rushing to take him on. In fact, no one was. Seeing how badly Hayley had been humiliated, no one wanted to star in their own video. Victor just smirked. His plan had worked. "Fine then, I humbly accept this year's trophy by default, right now!"

"When has he done ANYTHING humbly?" Calvin snorted as Principal Hastings came across with the trophy, her face looking like she'd just come from a skunk enclosure. Victor's eyes were wide as he reached out for it, and everyone could practically see him salivating at the thought of taking not only the trophy, but the record for having the most trophies in the school's history. Hayley threw off Calvin's arm and stepped forward.

"WAIT!" She called out, causing them both to look around. She strode right up to Victor, getting in his face. "I'll play you again!"

"You really want THAT to happen again?" He taunted her. Hayley could hear people laughing. It was that humiliation that had led to her taking her tennis training so much more seriously.

"THIS time I'm prepared!" She told him. "Trust me, THAT won't happen again!"

"This year's tennis match will be held at lunch time, today." Principal Hastings informed everyone, a slight twinge of happiness in not having to hand over the trophy in her voice. "I'll see you both on the court!"

"I'll see YOU on the court!" Victor told Hayley as he went to help Monty start unhooking the monitor. "Come on Monty, I'll help you pack all this away."

As they started to put the stuff away, Brody and Calvin came to Hayley's side.

"Hayley, are you sure you really want to do this?" Brody asked her. "I mean, Victor is pretty good, and it's not like you gain anything if you win."

"Don't worry about it, Hayley's been working hard for this all year." Calvin assured him, putting an arm around her. "She's got it covered!"

"Yeah, I have." She replied. "And while he might have made that video to get in my head, he's going to learn how far off the mark he is when I put my first serve straight down his throat!"

As she stormed off to go and prepare herself, Calvin sucked his teeth.

"Yeah, I have a feeling this isn't going to end well." He commented.

"You think?" Brody answered sarcastically.


	20. The Dragon Wand

Cosmo was in his office, along with Odious, Galvanax and what was left of Wrench. While he was paying to have Wrench rebuilt, he wasn't exactly in a hurry to do so given Wrench's failure in his last outing. It wasn't that Wrench hadn't gotten close, but whereas Wrench was generally a lot smarter and more thought-out in his approach to things than some of the other bruisers that came through Galaxy Warriors, he had fallen to a similar failing to the others. In the heat of the moment, he had gotten caught up in the show and the adulation and taken way too much time and way too much for granted. In a way, one of the things that annoyed Cosmo about Wrench's run on the show was that he had disappointed him in ending up much like the rest of the knuckle-draggers he had seen. Right now, Wrench had his head, about half his torso, and his left arm returned to him, and was being pushed around on a frame so that he could manage his duties in the production team.

Cosmo was pacing impatiently as he waited for the latest warrior to arrive. He had gone outside of his normal channels to find someone that was in incredible demand on the independent scene. While Galaxy Warriors was easily the premier company out there for intergalactic blood sports, there were other companies out there, and there were more than a few independent or "indie" warriors that plied their trade across numerous companies in order to maximise their exposure in a business where the prominence of their spot in the roster may be more down to internal politics and whether or not those in charge liked someone than genuine talent. Cosmo tended to stick with his own guys, since it was easier to exert control over those that were contractually tied to his company, but occasionally he would hire an independent who had a particularly impressive reputation in the hopes of swaying them into signing with him or to feed to some of his more prominent athletes in squash matches to make them look more impressive without taking any real risks with contracted talent. This guy though, he was in a league all of his own.

He had made a name for himself as one of the most successful warriors who had never signed a long-term contract with Cosmo. He had plied his own brand of carnage across numerous star systems, and by virtue of doing it all on his own, had kept most of the profits from his matches and his merchandise to himself. He was wealthy completely independently of Cosmo, which made him a lot harder to sway on coming on the show, but he had finally agreed a meeting with them. That said, right now he was committing one of the most egregious sins that made Cosmo's blood boil. He was making him wait. He was late!

"You know, you never have this problem with any of my talent." Odious said, more as a kind of taunt than anything else. Cosmo cast her a withering look.

"If your stable of athletes was worth a shit we wouldn't BE in this mess!" He snapped at her, checking his pocket watch. "The first rule of business is ALWAYS be on time! Where is he?"

"According to the scanners, there hasn't been a ship arrive or leave in days." Wrench informed him. "We've also had no teleporter activity since I got back."

"You mean he isn't even on the SHIP yet?" Cosmo screamed at him.

"We can find another warrior!" Wrench stammered. "I've got someone in mind, good build on him, really big mouth too, really loves talking smack…"

"Pretty soon we may not have a choice." Cosmo stated coldly, checking his watch again. "I am Cosmo Royale! No one keeps me waiting! I am the king of intergalactic blood sport entertainment! I'm the God of this industry! No one disrespects me!"

"Well, it seems like this pretender has." Galvanax snarled as he inspected his naginata. "Perhaps he didn't want to be in the presence of a real champion!"

"Alright, I certainly hope you both prepared your pitches." Cosmo stated. "That's it. If he isn't here at the count of three, I'm going with one of your athletes! One, two…"

Just then, there was a cloud of purple smoke on the opposite side of Cosmo's desk, which quickly dissipated. Sitting on his chair behind the desk, was a creature, wearing an ornately patterned red cloak, with the hood seemingly trimmed with some form of sharp animal teeth. His face was hidden, not just by the hood, but by some kind of dark mist that continued to shift and move, forming into many nightmarish visions based on the fears and doubts of whoever looked on him. He was holding a long, oaken broom with a large, spiked spiral coming from the top. He leaned back in the chair casually.

"Sorry I'm late." He stated with no real indication that he cared at all about the inconvenience or irritation his tardiness had caused. He snapped his fingers at which millions of business cards all carrying his image and his name rained down from the ceiling. Cosmo snatched one of them out of the air. "I presume I need no introduction."

"Abrakadanger. Your reputation precedes you." Cosmo stated, scrunching up his card. "You know, normally I don't entertain people who keep me waiting!"

"But in my case, you'll make an exception." Abrakadanger chuckled. "Because if you didn't need me, you'd never have sent all those messages. I've been on the indies for decades and you've only ever contacted me at most twice in a year. In the last few days, I've received no less than fifteen messages from you! That tells me you're desperate."

"No one is THAT desperate!" Odious sneered, turning to Cosmo. "Please, this man is nothing but parlour tricks and no substance! Let me MMMMMMMPHHH!"

She was muffled as her head was suddenly encased in a metal helmet which covered her mouth. There didn't seem to be any seams or gaps, making it look like it was one piece of metal somehow forged tightly around her head. Odious clawed at it, trying to pry it off.

"Be quiet and let the adults talk for a minute!" He said dismissively. Galvanax levelled his naginata at Abrakadanger's throat.

"Release her!" He barked. "NOW!"

Abrakadanger got up slowly from the chair, before putting a finger on the end of Galvanax's naginata. It started to wilt and flop downwards like it was made of some kind of cloth.

"I hear that can happen to men of a…certain age." He teased Galvanax. The Galaxy Warriors Champion reared back a fist, preparing to strike when Cosmo got between them.

"Settle down!" He told them both, gesturing to Galvanax to back off. He glared at Abrakadanger. "I do NOT appreciate such disrespect in my own office!"

"Well, how about we get down to business then so that I can go and prepare?" He asked. He snapped his fingers at which a contract appeared in Cosmo's hand. "I have some demands for my appearance on your show."

"You want a contract?" Cosmo asked him. Abrakadanger just shrugged.

"I've made a lot on the indies, but there comes a time when a steady income becomes a tempting proposition." He told him. "I will keep the rights to my own name and image. I get ninety five percent of the royalties of all merchandise…"

"NINETY-FIVE?" Galvanax roared. "I only get NINETY!"

"I also want a guaranteed downside of seven figures per bout." He told him. "Oh, and one last thing."

He pointed to the belt around Galvanax's waist.

"I want THAT!" He told him. Galvanax's hand strayed to his championship belt. Cosmo looked to him.

"If you take out the Rangers…"

"WHEN I take out the Rangers!" Abrakadanger responded confidently.

"When you defeat the Rangers, you can have Galvanax." Cosmo told him, signing the contract. "But rest assured, disrespect me in my office again, you will disappear and believe me when I say, you will not be coming back!"

"You made a wise choice." Abrakadanger replied, taking the contract and inspecting it, before rolling it up and putting it back inside his cloak. "Oh, and since you're so worried about your office…"

He slammed his staff into the floor, at which he and all the business cards disappeared, along with the helmet silencing Madame Odious. She glared at Cosmo as he walked around his desk and sat in his chair once more.

"This is outrageous!" She shrieked at him. "That thing is…"

"Believe me, I don't appreciate his attitude but I do appreciate a tough negotiation." Cosmo told her as he lit up a cigar.

"You just promised him Galvanax!" She yelled at him.

"And if your client is worthy of that belt, then he should be able to defend it, shouldn't he?" Cosmo asked her. "Now, if you don't mind, I need to start thinking about promotion. We're about to put one of the biggest independent stars on the scene on the show. It's not like I'll get that opportunity every day."

Over at the Ranger Base, Preston, Sarah, Mick and Redbot were all gathered around as Viera looked to them all with a huge smile on her face. She brought a large, ancient looking chest onto the work bench, slamming it down. They all stared at it as she continued to grin.

"That's a…nice chest." Mick told her.

"That's what Sel kept the Lion Fire Armour Star and the Lion Fire Zord Star in?" Sarah surmised. Viera just nodded.

"Yes, he did. I already told you I gave them to him for safe keeping before I was imprisoned." She told them. "Well, he brought this chest with him and he told me they were in there."

"Well, that's really nice." Preston said, inspecting the box. "So, are you keeping it as a memento?"

"No!" She replied. "Well, yes, but what I want to show you isn't the chest, it's what's inside the chest!"

"What's inside?" Mick asked her. She opened the chest and reached into it.

"Preston, you remember I told you that there were wizards on my world for generations." She replied. "Well, it looks like Sel's family had something of a legacy that even I didn't know about."

She pulled out a large, leather-bound book, and what looked like a twig. The only remarkable thing about it was that it had a tiny carving at the end, that from a distance made it look like some errant insect was crawling on the branch, but on closer inspection looked like a dragon. She held up the wand, showing it to them all.

"This is the Dragon Wand. Tales of its power are legendary in my galaxy. Its last bearer was killed by my father's ancestor almost three centuries ago. Some disputed what happened to it because no one ever used it in battle again. Some thought that my ancestors destroyed it to prevent its power being wielded against us again. Others thought it was lost. Some, including myself started to doubt it ever existed at all and that it was just a fairy tale, but when I got the stars out of the chest and I saw this, I just felt its power and knew that it had to be the real thing." She explained. "It looks like Sel's family took it as a trophy. Since I am no wizard, I thought that perhaps it would be best if I gave it to someone that was."

"You…you're…you're kidding right?" Preston said, noticeably starting to vibrate with delight as he reached out for it. "You're giving me a wand? A real actual wand?"

"Uh…Preston…"

"I can't believe it! I have an actual wand!" He screeched, beginning to wave it about.

"A wand helps a wizard channel unbelievable power. With it, a wizard can achieve amazing things far beyond the reach of their innate abilities, but like any weapon it needs some training and extreme discipline in order to use safely." She said, showing him the book. "That's where this comes in. I read some of it, and while I didn't understand a lot of it, I understood enough to know that this is the personal grimoire of a legendary sorcerer from my world. It details some powerful spells and has the secrets of his training. With it, someone with strong magical abilities can learn to use the wand."

"Use it?" Preston asked her. "You said this belonged to a powerful wizard. Do you think I could even…I don't know…handle that power?

"Preston, magic is a tool like any other." She explained to him. "Yes, this power is dangerous if wielded incorrectly, but if you have the patience and the will to work at it and study, this can be a tremendous power for good, and it could be an amazing weapon in your arsenal against Galvanax."

"Preston, she has a point." Sarah said to him. "I know better than anyone what can happen when things go wrong with weapons and how they can be used against us, but that doesn't mean I've stopped trying to use the talents I have to make us stronger in our fight to make the Earth safe again."

She pulled in closer to him, placing a hand softly on his face.

"I believe in you Preston." She told him. "If anyone can do this, it's you. No one loves magic more than you do."

"Alright." Preston said with a cautious tone in his voice, carefully taking the wand from Mick. "Alright, what do I do."

"From what little I could understand from the grimoire, it's a comprehensive guide to his works." Viera explained to Viera. "That means it's kind of like a how-to guide. It is imperative that you start at the beginning of the book and work through its lessons and learn its spells in order. Whatever you do, you cannot skip ahead!"

"Alright, so…I just start at the beginning and read through." Preston said as he took the book from her. "Yeah…I think I can do that. Thank you for this Viera."

"You've already helped me so much." She answered, hugging him gently.

"Still, this is amazing!" Preston said, looking once more to his new wand with glee. "I can't WAIT to try this thing out!"

"Well, that's the first bell." Sarah reminded him. "So, unless you plan to make geography a lot more interesting by actually taking us to the Amazon, I guess you're just going to have to wait a little before you give that a test run."

"I guess so." Preston said with a petted lip as he put the wand and the book in his bag. "Man, I wish I went to Hogwarts now."

Over in the hospital, Spike was being examined once more. Given the extent of his injuries, they were keeping a very close eye on him. He had already been through surgery, taking out a section of his colon, but the trouble with stomach wounds was that there were just so many organs that could leak and create potentially toxic situations in the human body that it was possible even a tiny, easily-missed tear or rupture could spell disaster and so they needed to make sure that nothing changed regularly. Sudden changes in temperature, discolouration, spikes in vitals, all of those could alert them to potentially dangerous complications, but since they could manifest very quickly there really was no alternative to regular blood, fluid and temperature tests.

Kimberly was standing by the candy machine, trying to get herself a snack. Skull had gone to arrange a hotel for them, while Bulk had insisted that he go to get them something more substantial than the contents of the hospital vending machines. Right now, though, that wouldn't be hard.

"Are you kidding me?" Kimberly muttered as the machine failed to vend. She started to hit the machine. "You stupid piece of…"

"You know, I've heard these things work better when they're plugged in." Jayden said as he arrived, picking a plug up off the floor and putting it into the plug socket. Kimberly just sighed and shook her head.

"I haven't slept in a while alright?" She asked.

"Is it safe to approach?" He asked her cautiously. He knew Kimberly was a Ranger and knew the risks involved exactly the same way he did, but there was a bit of a difference between logically knowing when a situation could turn so quickly that sometimes bad things just happened and the parental instinct that would seek to blame and punish anyone involved in their children being hurt. Jayden had only been a parent himself a little over a week, he and Antonio had only just finalised the paperwork to adopt Stephanie, but he already knew all too well the instinct to protect, and to lash out at anyone and anything that might do her harm. Kimberly was Spike's step-mom, but she had been in his life since he was a baby, and was the only mother he had ever known. Serena had learned the hard way how strong the momma-bear instinct was in Kimberly when he had ended up being hurt in one of his training sessions. He was relieved as he saw her smiling.

"Well, get me some chocolate M&M's and we'll call it forgiven." She told him as Jayden approached. She gestured him in for a hug, holding him. "I didn't catch much, but I knew you were there."

"I'm sorry things went badly…"

"Hey, these things happen." Kimberly reminded him. "Between the Spandex and the force, I know that you can do everything right and still something goes wrong that you didn't expect."

"I didn't know Goodwill was going to give up the gun, I swear I didn't." Jayden rushed out. "I didn't hear what they were saying, I just saw the gun pointed at Spike and I moved in…I moved as fast as I could…"

"Jayden, there's nothing to apologise for. If I'd been there, from where you were standing, I'd probably have done exactly the same thing." She assured him. "Well…maybe not EXACTLY the same thing, I mean I have a bow but…I'd probably have made much the same call."

"You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that." He told her, fetching her snack out of the machine. "I would offer to pay the hospital bills but it looks like you've got things covered."

"What can I say? Being a Skullovitch has its advantages at times." Kimberly answered. "I appreciate you coming."

"Well, I wish everyone felt the same." Jayden answered. Kimberly just looked at him.

"What's that meant to mean?" She asked him.

"You haven't heard?" He asked her. She just shook her head.

"I haven't seen any official reports." She told him. "Spike told me what he remembers but he was pretty in and out on what he saw and heard after the shot. It's not that uncommon."

"Spike's partner wasn't as forgiving as you were." Jayden told her. "He started yelling at me, screaming about how Rangers just get away without facing the consequences of their actions. He wanted to arrest me…"

"Jayden, I'm sure it was all just the heat of the moment." Kimberly told him.

"He bounced a bullet off my skull!" Jayden told her. "If it wasn't for the helmet my brains would have been all over the cemetery."

"He shot you?" Kimberly gasped. She had seen anti-Ranger sentiment. The fact was that while public opinion always was overwhelmingly favourable when it came to Rangers, there were always some that harboured some ill will towards them. People who were hurt in their battles, people who had lost loved ones, those who had been unfortunate enough to be one of those that the Rangers couldn't help, and some who in some ways the Rangers had negatively affected either directly or indirectly. Wars had casualties, that was unavoidable, but that wasn't always a comfort to those that suffered those consequences.

"I think I might have created a problem." He told her. "I'm not familiar with the current team, but I need to find them and I need to warn them. Thanks to me, something bad could be coming their way."


	21. Magical Education

Preston sat at his desk in Mrs Finch's class, fidgeting impatiently as she ran through some revision exercises on the board. She had warned them she had a test coming up and she was working on preparing them for that. It was fortunate since Preston was clearly not paying attention to the lesson at all. He had already managed to make it through Levi's class without the Gold Ranger noticing that he wasn't paying attention in the slightest. Right now, he was far more interested in what was in his bag!

Preston loved magic! He had since he was a kid. His obsession and love of magic was amplified by his contact with the Ninja Steel to the point that he had developed real magical powers! Unfortunately, much like his stage tricks, he had been forced to learn about his new gift more or less on his own. Since he hadn't met anyone in the Magic Circle, at least to the best of his knowledge, he had spent most of his time and money teaching himself all his stage illusions. Though with them, there were at least guide videos, books and kits for some of the basic tricks that were now considered public domain and the Magic Circle no longer punished members for revealing the secrets of. With his actual magic though, sadly there was no how-to guide. He was pretty much on his own…until now.

He was aware that there were people who had real magic powers in the world. Hell, he'd heard that there was an entire Ranger team whose powers were rooted entirely in magic, but since he'd never met any of them and couldn't just run off to Briarwood for a couple of years to see if he could find one of them willing to train him, he'd been figuring out his magic largely by experimentation. Trial and error. While he had made some headway, it was slow going. Not only did he not have anyone to give him pointers in how things should be done, he also had to be very careful to make sure none of his spells went too far awry, and he'd already had a mishap or two that showed him exactly how badly things could go wrong which made him a little wary of being too ambitious. He had already caused a full evacuation of the school when he inadvertently conjured a real-life panther, and it was just as well his dad didn't ask too many questions when he couldn't find his humidor since even Preston didn't know where it ended up after he tried a teleportation spell. While Viera had already explained she was not a wizard, at least now he had a good starting point. Now he had a very real grimoire all of his own!

He couldn't wait to try out his new spells, to get started on his new studies. To know that there was a real spell book within reach right now was almost too much to bear, so much so that he was tuning out pretty much everything else. He'd already taken the Dragon Wand out of the bad and slipped it into his pocket just to have it close. He didn't claim to be too knowledgeable about such things, but he could already feel the power in it, and couldn't help putting his hand into his pocket just to feel it in his hand. He saw everyone pulling out their books and presumed that Mrs Finch had told them to get out their books to do some reading. Preston went into his bag for the book, but as he did so, he found himself focusing on the grimoire. He looked around seeing the others were just reading quietly while Mrs Finch wrote up some revision notes on the board. Unable to resist, he slipped the grimoire out and opened it up, beginning to read.

"Alright Viera, perhaps you'd like to demonstrate how this problem is solved?" Mrs Finch asked. Viera got up from her chair and headed to the front of the class. Preston was thankful everyone was paying attention to her since it gave him a chance to read his book. It started off with some notes and diagrams, the great Wizard who'd composed it gave a foreword on what magic meant to him and how the winds of magic existed in a delicate balance and…

"Man, this guy is long-winded, how long is this foreword?" He asked as he flipped through. "The foreword is over three hundred pages? That seems unnecessary!"

There was a chapter on how to hold a wand…a full hundred and fifty pages just on grip! Why exactly did anyone think that a lesson in how to hold a stick was so important that it required a hundred and fifty pages? Another two hundred or so about being rested and emotionally stable before beginning to work on spells, recipes for teas, suggestions for good times of day to perform certain types of spells, dates for certain celebrations when the winds of magic ran particularly strong or unexpectedly weak…He finally found something good well over a thousand pages into the book.

"Spell one, levitation! Now we're talking!" Preston whispered to himself. He looked up, seeing Viera still working on the problem and looked back to the book. "Man, here I was hoping Wingardium Leviosa would work…wait…so that's the word? And there's a move…that doesn't look too difficult."

He looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to him, before pulling out his wand. He just wanted a practice run before he tried it for real. He read the word a couple of times trying to figure out how best to pronounce it, before flicking his wand under his desk.

"Etativel!" He whispered. Just as he did so, the classroom was thrown into chaos as virtually everything that wasn't nailed down suddenly flew towards the front of the class. The desks only moved a few inches, but papers and jotters all flew right to the front. Preston quickly shoved his wand back in his pocket and hid the book as everyone looked around in confusion.

"Alright class, settle down!" Mrs Finch said, trying to restore some order. "It's just a draft, Hayley would you mind closing the windows?"

As Preston put the book away, making a mental note to wait until he wasn't in a crowded classroom to try that again, people started retrieving their belongings. Monty was about to pick up a note on the floor when Viera got to it first. She picked it up, and couldn't help seeing what it said.

"Viera's so pretty?" She asked, before seeing another form of handwriting. "Well, what are you waiting for, ask her out! Are you kidding? What would she see in…"

She looked to Monty, who looked mortified. He gulped as he tried to play it off like the note wasn't his. He started looking around for some imaginary coursework. Viera just put the note away and smiled.

Over in the police precinct, down in the armoury, there were a bunch of officers getting equipment. While the department did issue equipment, it wasn't unknown for officers to purchase additional or better equipment on their own dime, and buying it through the department was considerably less expensive than buying it wholesale, not to mention as police officers they were permitted to buy a great many things that weren't exactly on the shelves of many supermarkets.

The firing rage was down there, letting people practice and also letting them engage in a little "try before you buy" action. Trevor didn't make a habit of spending much time down here. He practiced his marksmanship of course in order to be ready for his mandatory checks, but unlike a lot of officers he was often more than happy with his standard issue equipment. That was until today. As he approached the armourer, the woman looked up from the desk and smiled.

"Well, well, well. I didn't expect to see you down here." She commented. "So, what's the occasion Marx?"

"I could live without the routine Iris." Trevor told her. "I'm here to make a purchase."

"That would be the occasion I'm talking about Marx. It's not like you make a habit of shopping." She commented, tapping a few keys on her computer. "In fact, the last time you got anything it was filling a requisition form for three clips for your nine. That was four years ago. That's a department record you know!"

"Iris…"

"I'll bet you still have all three clips, don't you?" She asked. "I'm betting that you haven't dropped so much as a single round…"

"I dropped a few rounds the other day actually." Trevor said a little bad-temperedly. "Now, can I make some purchases or do I need to go to Walmart where I won't get the third degree?"

"Someone's impatient." She teased him. "Alright, so another clip of 9mm rounds…"

"I was actually looking for something with a little more kick." Trevor told her. She just smirked.

"So, Marx is looking for an upgrade? I never thought I'd see the day." She said as she looked to him. "Are you finally over the touchy-feely stuff?"

"No, I just found there's some things that need a little more convincing to go down." Trevor told her. "What have you got that'll take down someone in armour?"

"Armour?" She asked him. She reached under the counter, pulling out a huge, oversized hand gun with a triangular cross-section. Marx wasn't exactly an enthusiast, but he could recognise it as a Desert Eagle, the gun which had the reputation of the most powerful handgun on the planet. She showed it to him.

"This is the .50, it holds six in the clip and another in the pipe. Whatever you hit with this will be ripped clean off." She told him. Trevor picked it up, inspecting it a little. He took a clip and stepped over to a free aisle in the range. He squeezed off a couple of rounds, hitting two in the chest and one in the head. He could feel in his arm that it was significantly more powerful than his standard issue pistol, the one that the Red Ranger had shrugged off and run away from. Perhaps if he'd had this, then he might have been able to bring the guy in. "I'd say it looks like that was made for you!"

"It's a good start." Trevor said, putting the Desert Eagle down. "What else do you have?"

"You want something bigger than THAT?" She asked him. Trevor just pulled out his credit card.

"I'm good for it." He answered. "What do you have?"

"Well, you can't go wrong with a good 12 gauge, personally I like the SPAS." She told him, fetching one off the shelf. "Semi-automatic shotgun, capable of using a variety of rounds, fires pretty damn quick. A lot of the SWAT guys call this a 'room broom', because once you start, you sweep a room clean pretty quickly."

Trevor picked it up and went to his aisle. He fired off a couple of shots, tearing into his target. He smiled as he saw the results.

"Not bad." He stated with a satisfied nod.

"Not bad?" She asked him. He just put the gun down. As he was going to tell her to ring up the sale though, he heard a massive roar, one that sounded more like an explosion than a gunshot. He spun around to see a couple of the SWAT guys in a combat range doing an exercise. One of them fired off his shotgun, at which the roar came once more. A door went flying and they stormed into a simulated room. Trevor's eyes went wide.

"What the hell was that?" He asked. "Why didn't mine do that?"

"Those would be shredders." She said to him. Trevor looked at her a little confused. "They're breaching rounds, they're designed to break open barricaded doors. Mostly it's the SWAT guys that use them but…"

"I want some!" He told her, pulling out his credit card. "Ring it up…ALL of it!"

"All of it?" Iris asked, no longer mocking him. He'd gone from having next to no interest in arming up to loading for bear in the matter of a couple of minutes. "What the hell are you going after?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Trevor answered, sliding her the credit card. "Ring it up."

Back at Summer Cove High, Hayley was taking time during the morning break to get in some warm-up exercises while others were enjoying their break. She had been humiliated by Victor the previous year, and she was determined that this time she wasn't going to suffer the same fate. She was working on her serve, hoping that a few aces might just give her a little bit of an edge, but just because she could hit an 85 mile an hour serve didn't help much if Victor managed to return the serve or when it was his turn to serve, that was where Preston came in…well, it would be if he'd showed up! While he wasn't as enthusiastic about the game as Hayley was, by virtue of his dad, he'd spent enough time around country clubs to play a little and he'd promised to help her warm up. Hayley finally saw him wandering onto the court, but instead of a racket, he seemed to be carrying a book and his wand, which right now he was using to scratch his scalp as he read it.

"Preston, you promised me you'd help me to warm up for my match!" Hayley reminded him. She could completely understand his eagerness to get started on the spells, but he had promised to help her and she wanted to be sure he was able to deliver on his promise. "I thought you were going to help me practice."

"I am." Preston explained. "But I figured, if I use this then maybe we can both practices together."

"You want to use magic to help me practice?" She asked him. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah, sure I am! I have a really simple spell right here." Preston told her, dragging over a basket of tennis balls.

"What if someone sees you?" She asked him.

"Oh, Victor's holding a victory party in the canteen, no one's going to be coming out here." He assured her. Hayley just glared at him. "Um…alright, let's give this a go. Etativel!"

Hayley watched as one of the tennis balls lifted into the air. Preston concentrated the tip of his wand, tracing where he wanted to position the ball, before a flick of his wrist sent it flying at Hayley at speed. She hit the ball, returning it and smiled.

"Hey, that's pretty cool! Nice magic Preston!" She complimented him.

"See, we can practice together!" He assured her, continuing to lob balls at her. Hayley felt the benefit of this new form of practice. While the serving machine was good, it was quite limited in the scope of where it would fire meaning that it could get predictable. Doing things this way, Preston could keep Hayley on her toes and prepare her for the less predictable nature of the match. The other Rangers, Viera and Mick all came out to watch.

"Hey, nice backhand Hayley!" Sarah complimented her.

"Thanks, after last year I decided to make a comeback better than ever!" She told them all proudly.

"She's not kidding, she's been practicing every day for an hour all year!" Calvin said as he looked to his girlfriend proudly. "I wouldn't be surprised if the next victory party in the canteen is hers!"

"Epic magic Presto!" Brody complimented him, noticing the spell he was using. It wasn't one he'd seen Preston use before, and so he assumed it was all down to the book. "I see you've made some impressive headway in that book."

"I'll say." Sarah said, noticing how far into the book he was. "You have to be about a thousand pages in. When did you get a chance to read all that?"

"Oh…I haven't read ALL of it, I just skipped some of the intro and some lame foreword and stuff like that." Preston told her.

"Really?" She asked him. "Viera, I thought you said…"

"Yeah, it was just fluff, I can read over it later." Preston assured Sarah.

"Preston, magic is a very precise artform. People have done some pretty terrible things when they weren't prepared properly." Viera warned him.

"Seriously, it was only stuff about getting enough sleep, which I do, and how to hold a wand! I've kind of been practicing that since I was five!"

"Oh…OK, as long as you're sure." Sarah replied, looking a little nervous.

"Best part is, that's only the first spell in the introductory series! How cool is that?" He asked. "Let's see, what's next? Changing colour…yeah, maybe later. Spell three, turning things to food…BORING! Growing hair why would you even want to do that…?"

"Um, I've lost my eyebrows a couple of times." Sarah said with a shrug as the others looked at her. "What? I'd have appreciated being able to get them back a little sooner!"

"Come on Preston, I'm cooling down over here!" Hayley complained.

"Oh man! Spell 8 is INVISIBILITY!" Preston said excitedly, practically dancing on the spot as he said this. "Hayley, I've just got to try this! If you can return this you'll be able to return anything Victor can throw at you!"

"Spell 8?" Levi asked as he thought about this. It was one thing that Preston had said he skipped the introduction and some of the foreword and suchlike, but now he was talking about skipping whole spells it started to ring a couple of alarm bells with him. "Didn't Viera tell you specifically not to do that?"

"Yeah, I definitely remember her saying that." Mick added.

"I definitely did!" Viera warned him. "Preston, whatever you do…"

"El-Beez-Eve Nee!" Preston called out, pointing his wand at a tennis ball in his hand. The wand started to vibrate in his hand, and sparks started to shoot out of it. It shook itself free of Preston's grip and fell to the ground where it fired off a beam causing them all to throw themselves aside for cover. Preston got up, dusting himself off.

"OK, that wasn't quite right." Preston commented. "I'm sorry about that, is everyone alright?"

They all answered to indicate they were alright, but that was when Calvin noticed something was odd.

"Hayley?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine Calvin." She assured him. It was only then that she saw the others staring around turning this way and that. It all seemed rather odd.

"Hayley, where…where are you?" Sarah asked her.

"I'm right over here!" She told them.

"Hayley, we can hear you but…where are you?" Calvin reiterated. Viera suddenly had a thought.

"Hayley, pick up a tennis ball." She told her. They all watched as a tennis ball started to float in the air.

"What? What's going on?" She asked, before she looked to the tennis ball and realised she couldn't see her own hand! "PRESTON!"

The Rangers, Mick and Viera all looked to the Blue Ranger, who just gulped.

"Oh shit." He offered weakly. "My bad?"


	22. Broken Serve

Victor was in the canteen, having set up an impromptu party to celebrate his victory…before the game was even played! None of the other kids seemed to mind much that the game was scheduled for lunch time and he was already celebrating a little before 10AM, most of them were just there for the festivities. Victor was going around, shaking hands and taking selfies with 'fans' whether they really wanted them or not, while Monty just sat sulking in a corner. He noticed his friend wasn't enjoying himself and came over sitting down with him.

"Come on Monty, don't look so glum." He told him. "This is a party! Go get some appetisers and have a good time!"

"I don't feel much like partying." Monty said morosely.

"Is this still about that Viera girl?" Victor asked him. "Come on Monty, just ask her out for goodness sake!"

"That's easy for you to say!" Monty grumbled. "She…found the note."

"She did?" Victor asked. "That's perfect!"

"How is that perfect?" Monty asked him. "It's…it's humiliating it's…"

"Did you say anything in the note that wasn't true? That isn't what you really feel?" Victor asked him.

"Well…"

"Then at least she knows you're on the level." Victor told him. "So, she knows you think she's gorgeous, what girl wouldn't want to hear that?"

"One that thinks I'm a pathetic loser?" Monty asked him.

"Well, it didn't seem like she thought you were a pathetic loser when you had lunch with her that time." Victor reminded him. "In fact,…there she goes now. Why don't you go ask her now?"

"She's with her friends." Monty told him. "And…the music teacher…and also the shop teacher."

"So?" Victor asked him. "If it's numbers you're worried about, I'll go for moral support." Victor told him.

"But this is your party." Monty reminded him.

"What's more important than my best friend?" Victor asked him. "Come on Monty, let's go ask out your dream girl!"

They followed the group, seeing them head into the Shop Class, at which Monty just stopped for a moment to catch his breath.

"Just remember, forget the others, just stay on message." Victor encouraged him.

"Viera, will you go out with me. Viera, will you go out with me." Monty repeated a couple of times to get it straight in his head. "OK, I think I'm ready."

"Then let's go!" Victor said as they both headed into the Shop Class. They both looked around in confusion as they found the room completely empty.

"That's weird, I could have sworn I saw them come in here." Victor stated.

"Something like that happened the other day too." Monty told him. "I saw them go in, but then the room was empty!"

"It must be one of Preston's tricks." Victor replied with a shrug as they turned to leave, heading back out into the hall.

"But…what's the point?" Monty asked him. "There's no one else around to see the trick."

"How the hell would I know? That Preston kid's always been a weirdo." Victor said as Principal Hastings approached from the end of the corridor.

"Excuse me." She said, brushing past them. They saw her heading for the Shop Class and headed after her.

"Um…Principal Hastings, Mr Kanik isn't in right now." Victor told her. "We were just in here and…"

They both fell silent as they arrived in the Shop Class, finding Principal Hastings had also disappeared.

"That…just happened right?" Victor asked.

"I definitely saw Principal Hastings come in here." Monty agreed.

"Something really strange is going on here." Victor said, stroking his jaw. "And we are going to find out what."

Inside the Ranger base, Principal Hastings was standing beside Mick, her mouth hanging open as she observed the scene before her. She'd seen a number of strange and unusual things in her career. Kids seemed to have an unending talent for finding unique and unusual situations to find themselves in. However, this was beyond anything she had ever encountered.

Hayley was sitting on the table, but the only way anyone was able to tell was because at Mick's insistence, she was wearing Calvin's hoodie, an item of clothing that hadn't been hit when Preston's spell went off. It had confirmed that only Hayley and the clothes she was wearing at the time had been affected. Her cell phone was hovering in the air, and by the sounds of things Hayley was talking on the phone.

"Well…this is new." She commented. "So, let me go over this again to see if I have this right. Preston was practicing magic, REAL magic on school grounds."

"Yeah." Preston said rather uncomfortably. "I'm…not going to get detention, again am I? My dad flipped last time."

"How exactly do you expect me to write up a report for this?" She asked him.

"I…thought it would be best to tell you about this." Mick told her. "You know...because we thought…"

"Because although I have a whole hamper of lost and found clothes, you figured other students might just notice a headless student walking around." She replied, face-palming as she tried to make sense of the situation. "So, I guess first thing's first. Can we change her back?"

"I'm working on it, I'm working on it." Preston told her as he flipped through the spell book.

"Yes, mom that's right, I'm working on a school project and it's probably going to take most of the night." She said as she spoke on the phone. "We're all going to be working on it all night. Brody's agreed to let us stay at his place."

"Guys, I'll probably have this figured out if you give me…"

"We're erring on the side of caution." Mick interrupted Preston. He turned towards Principal Hastings. "Hayley obviously can't go to class like this…"

"Alright, so let me get this straight." She sighed. "You want me to lie to her parents, lie to each of her teachers to explain her absence and all the while make sure no one questions where she was at all."

"That's about the size of it yes." Mick said. Jennifer just smiled.

"You're lucky you are unbearably cute." She answered, taking his hand in her own. "You know you're going to have to make this up to me, right?"

"I look forward to it." Mick replied with a wry grin as she headed for the exit. He turned back to the Rangers who were all giving him knowing looks.

"If you could see my face, you'd see I have the biggest heart-eyes right now." Hayley stated.

"Ahem, well, yes. Back to the matter at hand." He stated. "Until we…and by that, I mean Preston…figures out that undo spell, there's really not much else we can do."

"So, Hayley and Preston just have to stay in here until Preston figures out the spell?" Calvin asked. "How long will that take?"

"Each of these chapters is preparation for the spell and the final part of the chapter is the spell itself. There are ten spells in the book…"

"That whole book is just TEN SPELLS?" Brody asked him. "It's bigger than most phone books!"

"Preparation and mental discipline are vitally important in magic." Viera told them. "Otherwise…you know…things like this happen."

"You're really not helping do you know that?" Preston huffed as he found the chapter. "Alright, I've got the beginning of the chapter, it's a couple of hundred pages but I should be able to get through it before…"

"Before lunch time?" Hayley asked him. "I've worked all year to beat Victor! I have to show up for this match!"

"Hayls, maybe…maybe you just have to let this one go." Calvin suggested.

"I've had to put up with knowing how badly I got beaten all year! I've been practicing so hard for this comeback!" She told him. "If I don't show up, I will NEVER hear the end of it! Victor will go around telling everyone I'm scared of him!"

"And the alternative is you have to explain why people can only see a floating tennis racket." Mick reminded her. "I'm with Calvin on this one I'm afraid."

"Guys, I'll read the chapter!" Preston assured them. "I'll be able to cast the spell."

"Alright, in the meantime that is the bell!" Mick said, hearing the bell ringing. "The good news is, all of you have Shop Class, so you don't have far to go!"

As the others left, Preston started to get to work on reading the chapter.

"Man, this guy really was all about prep work." Preston sighed. "Don't worry Hayley, I can read pretty quickly."

"Well, you better." Hayley grumbled. "Because if you don't fix this, you'll never see me coming!"

Preston just gulped and got back to reading.

A little while later, in the middle of Shop Class, the students were working on various projects for extra credit. Victor and Monty's idea, as per usual, was more of a get-rich-quick scheme than just a project. Victor had taken Monty out on the beach with a metal detector a few times to look for valuables. It was a hobby he had picked up from one of his dad's old military friends who had been a minesweeper, but after a few visits, Monty had started to notice that the whole process seemed a little inefficient for his liking. After finding metal objects, they still had to dig them out of the sand, which sometimes took a fair amount of time, depending on the size of what had been found and how deeply it was buried. That was when Monty suggested the idea of combining a metal detector with a powerful magnet!

"You know, we could try using a Master Magnet." Monty suggested. "By using AC, it could attract not only ferrous, but also non-ferrous metals."

"None of the main windows open in here." Victor said as he looked around the room. "Only the top ones do and they're way too small for anyone to climb out of."

"Victor, can we concentrate on this?" Monty insisted.

"The alarm would have gone off if they'd gone through the emergency exit." Victor said, scratching his head. "They must have all gone out the roller door into the yard."

"The roller door was closed when we came in." Monty reminded him. "It'd have taken too long to close and we'd have heard it."

"The paint room!" Victor concluded. "The must have went into the paint room!"

"The paint room's been closed since we blew it up." Monty reminded him. "Besides, why would they want to go into the paint room? It's not like there's anything in there other than what's left of the compressor. Besides, the chain on the door is still there."

"Darn it, they're up to something I just know it!" Victor stated. "Everything weird that happens around here happens around them have you noticed that?"

"Weird stuff happens to everyone around this city." Monty reminded him, before getting a love-struck look on his face. "Except for her!"

"My good man, you have got it bad!" Victor replied with a smile. "Tell you what? How about you ask her out at the game?"

"At the game?" Monty asked him.

"Of course!" Victor answered. "What better chance to ask her than when everyone else is paying attention to me!"

"You know…you have a good point there." Monty said with a little smile. "I…I think I can do it!"

"I believe I you my man!" He replied, clapping him on the back. "Alright, now how do we build one of those magnet things you were talking about?"

Later in the day, coming towards lunchtime, Preston was just about finishing up the chapter. He wasn't taking any chances with the spell this time. This time he wanted to go through the whole chapter to get every detail right. It wasn't the first time that he had messed up a spell, but it was to date the worst mishap he'd had. It was only made worse by the fact it was one of his friends that had gotten hit. If he had turned himself invisible and it was only him that was put out, he would have been able to take that, but since someone else had to deal with the consequences, that just made it worse. Hayley hadn't even spoken to him now for about half an hour.

He rubbed his eyes as he tried to relieve the tiredness. Preston was a prolific reader and he was also pretty quick, but it seemed the sorcerer who wrote the grimoires did not believe in truncating instructions. The entire book was larger than most phone books and he'd already read far enough ahead to know it only contained ten spells. Each spell was a chapter in and of itself which was hundreds of pages long, and he was trying to get through the chapter for the undo spell before lunchtime!

"Alright, I think I have it now." Preston said, looking around as he took up the wand. "Right, so just a quick practice, the motion is a little like this…up, down, over the shoulder and point. Right, got it."

He looked over to the bench where Hayley was sitting and he gulped as he squared up to her.

"Alright, I'm really, really sorry about all of this, but this should only take a minute." Preston said as he stretched out his neck and rolled his shoulders. "Alright, here goes nothing. Cigam Odnu!"

He watched as nothing happened. He checked his wand, and performed the motion again.

"Cigam Odnu!" He uttered again. He could feel power in his wand and in his hand, but he couldn't see anything happening. He just sighed and growled in frustration, kicking a table and painfully stubbing his toe.

"I'm so sorry Hayley, I thought I had it!" He complained, putting the wand down on the table and shaking his head. "I…I don't know what I'm doing wrong!"

He didn't get an answer. He turned around and looked to the bench.

"Hayley, I know you're mad, but I'm trying I promise I really am!" Preston assured her. He still didn't get an answer. "Hayley, please talk to me."

He became concerned when he still didn't get an answer. He was sure that Hayley was angry, and quite understandably so, but without her talking to him he was quite literally blind as to how she was feeling. It wasn't like he could see the look on her face.

"Hayley, please talk to me!" Preston begged her. "Swear at me, yell at me…hell, hit me if you have to! Just…please, do something."

Still no response. Preston approached the bench, wondering if perhaps while she was waiting Hayley had maybe taken a nap.

"Hayley?" He asked, going to the bench and reaching out a hand, slowly and gently. He kept it low and went to the end of the bench so that he didn't accidentally touch anything that would create an awkward moment in their friendship. He panned his hand around trying to find her. When he still couldn't, he started to explore more frantically, sweeping his hands around all over the bench.

"HAYLEY!" He called out. "Oh…that's not good!" Just then, he heard the lunch bell ringing.

"She wouldn't…would she?" Preston asked.

As the lunch bell rang, people started to file out of the school, heading for the tennis court. Even kids that didn't really care about tennis were filing into the area. So many remembered Hayley's embarrassing performance the previous year that many wanted to see if they would get a repeat performance. Others wanted to see if Victor would get knocked down a peg or two and throw another tantrum if he didn't get his fiftieth trophy like he wanted. There were even some starting to take bets, though they were being careful not to get noticed by the teachers.

Mick was with Principal Hastings just inside the school as she prepared. He just looked to her.

"I don't understand, why can't you just cancel the game?" He asked her.

"If I do people will ask why." She reminded him. "This way, at least we can say Hayley forfeited the game and no one will think the school had anything to do with the game not going ahead."

"But instead Hayley looks like she chickened out." Mick reminded her. Principal Hastings just sighed.

"It's not ideal, I know that but it's all I've got." She answered. "Look, if another kid challenges, we can play the match. Believe me, NOTHING would give me greater pleasure than seeing that blowhard throw another tantrum, but if he's the only one competing then he's kind of entitled to the title as the defending champion."

"I suppose there were always going to be sacrifices." Mick agreed. "I guess Hayley just has to put up with a little hit to her reputation."

"Alright, then here we go." She said, before stopping for a moment. Reaching behind his head, she pulled him in, kissing him softly. "For luck."

"Glad to be of help." Mick said with a grin as they headed out to the court. Mick found the others and sat with them, while Jennifer headed out to the court, where Victor was already warming up. She rolled her eyes seeing him gazing longingly at the trophy that she would soon have no choice but to give him.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Summer Cove High Championship Tennis Match." She announced to the crowd as she forced a smile. She saw no sign of Hayley, so she didn't feel like there was going to be a last-minute save. "Last year's champion, Victor Vincent will play…Hayley Foster!"

The crowd started to look around, unable to see Hayley. All but the Rangers and Viera who knew that she wasn't likely to show up.

"Hayley Foster?" She called again. There was a murmur from the crowd, one or two were even starting to cluck like chickens. Principal Hastings hated having to do this to Hayley, but there wasn't really any other way. "Alright, are there any other challengers?"

"It doesn't look like it." Victor stated, giving the principal a toothy grin. "We all know what that means."

"Alright, then without further ado, I have no choice but to award this trophy to…"

"WAIT!" Hayley called out.

"Hayley?" Sarah asked. "Did Preston manage to…"

"Oh my God!" Levi gasped.

"This is…such a bad idea." Mick commented. Coming onto the court, they could see Hayley, or at very least what they could only ASSUME was Hayley. She was wearing coveralls, leather gauntlets and a welding helmet from Mick's workshop, covering her from head to toe. They all knew how desperate she was to take part in the game, but was she really desperate enough to try and play like that?

"Hayley?" Principal Hastings asked. Hayley just nodded her head.

"The school doesn't have a dress code for tennis." She stated. "I could play wearing a catsuit if I wanted."

"Um…alright." She conceded, not really seeing a way to get out of this. Hayley just took her place on the court.

"What are you wearing? Is that…is that protective wear?" He asked her. "Oh, you're going to need it today, because I'm bringing the heat!"

"You talk a good game, let's see if you play a good game!" She said, taking up her stance. Victor wound up a serve and drove it home, sending it whistling straight past her. One of the big drawbacks of the welding helmet was that she didn't have a wide field of vision. Hayley cursed herself as she set up again. Since she couldn't see the ball very well, she had to concentrate on Victor and take her cues from him where he was going to serve the ball. The second serve came quickly and she was able to return it, but as he fired it back, she dropped another point.

"We can end this embarrassment any time you want." Victor told her.

"Just shut up and serve!" She snapped.

"Alright, but the next one is going to be a screamer!" Victor warned her. He threw the ball up and fired off a huge, serve which came straight for her. In fact, it quite literally hit right between her eyes, knocking her head backwards. She threw down her racket in a fit of temper.

"What the HELL!" She screamed. "You almost took my head off!"

It was then that she noticed Victor was standing, staring at her, pointing and mouthing incoherently. Looking around, everyone was staring at her. Then she realised, her vision wasn't tinted…the helmet! She reached up, realising that Victor had knocked her welding helmet off her head! It was now clear why everyone was staring, they were watching a headless student walking around!

There was a puff of smoke and Preston appeared right next to her.

"Aha! Another mystical feat from the amazing Presto Chango!" Preston said, striking a pose. Hayley took her cue from him and copied the pose. Principal Hastings came over to them, whispering.

"You two are REALLY not making my job easy!" She whispered to them. "Unacceptable! You're clearly trying to distract Victor with your magic! I'm sorry Hayley but you're disqualified!"

Hayley and Preston couldn't argue, they both knew that Principal Hastings was doing her best to cover their asses in front of an audience who likely had a hell of a lot of questions! Victor just went to the edge of the court where his bag was, along with the trophy. He started pointing to it, at which Principal Hastings rolled her eyes and came across. Reluctantly, she picked it up.

"Your winner, still champion, and now new school record holder for most trophies, Victor Vincent!" She announced as she handed it over to him. Victor smiled and waved for the crowd.

"Thank you, Hayley, that was an entertaining game." He said, picking up his bag. "Now, I have some classes to get to."

As he picked up his bag though, something fell out. Victor looked at it curiously as Principal Hastings bent down to pick it up. She looked to it and her mouth hung open as she showed him it was a clear bag. Inside there was a syringe and a vial of some kind of chemical.

"Somatotropin." She read off the side of the vial. "This is human growth hormone."

"I've…I've never seen that before in my life!" Victor stammered out.

"Victor, this came out of your bag." She stated.

"I swear I have no idea where that came from!" Victor pleaded with her.

"Victor, go to my office!" She said in a low, cold tone, ripping the trophy away from him.

"But that isn't mine!" He yelled. "You can't take my trophy I won that fair and square!"

"You really do have no idea how much trouble you're in do you?" She asked him in disbelief, pointing again. "Go and wait in my office NOW!"

Levi came across, taking Victor by the arm and leading him away.

"But it's not mine!" Victor protested again.

"Victor, you have a right to remain silent." Levi said to him. "Given the amount of trouble you're in, if I were you, I'd exercise that right until your parents get here."


	23. Victor's Questions

Trevor was at the precinct, running through exercises on the target range. He had run the urban combat court now a few times, in an effort to get used to his new weapons, which he hoped would tip the scales when he went after the Rangers.

He knew that right now he was likely in a pretty silent minority. The Rangers were generally viewed extremely favourably by the public, and the city. While the monster battles had indeed taken their toll on normal people in the city and caused a lot of damage and a lot of heartache, there were more than a few people that were extremely happy about the situation. Insurance companies, hospitals, doctors, merchandise producers, the media, weapons manufacturers, security consultants, all of these people had noticed their businesses going through the roof! People who actively made money off the Rangers were delighted by the whole situation. The city, while losing some businesses and losing some residents, made the most out of the situation by encouraging outside investments and generating positive public images of brightly-coloured superheroes. It was a situation that Trevor was all too familiar with.

He had only served one tour of Afghanistan, but that was more than enough for a whole lifetime. He had been pensioned out after being injured in an attack and sent home. While he was proud to have served his country and continued to do so after he recovered and enrolled in the Police Academy, he had seen with his own eyes the fact that there was something a little sick with the whole system. People earned money, a LOT of money, out of people getting hurt, getting killed, and because they had the luxury of being thousands of miles away when the nasty stuff happened, none of them really cared how much blood was spilled for their profits! Now though, he was seeing it happen right here in his home town!

The Rangers could do pretty much whatever they wanted without care of their consequences. The city, the media, the officials, none of them had any interest in risking their gravy train, regardless of what happened to everyone else, the home owners, the small businesses, the people who had to live and work in the city and didn't have much option but to get caught in the crossfire.

He made his way along the last 'street' in his course, moving cautiously and sweeping around just as his years of training taught him looking for his last few targets. One popped out, and with a roar his SPAS fired off another shredder, turning the target into toothpicks! A couple more targets, a couple of thousand more toothpicks! It kicked like a mule, but he was starting to really like this thing. His standard issue nine had been more of an inconvenient surprise to the Red Ranger than anything else. He'd seen Ranger battles and knew those suits were a lot more than just Spandex, but it surprised even him that his round bounced off the Red Ranger's helmet without so much as a crack to show for it. He needed something that would take them down, and right now, this seemed like one hell of a nutcracker!

Another target came out, and Trevor swung around, but held his fire seeing a mother pushing a pram. One of the innocent targets in the sequence to make sure people didn't get trained just to pull the trigger any time something startled them or crossed their path. His final target came out, a much bigger challenge, it was an unarmed woman, but with a gun pointed at her and a man standing behind her holding her. A hostage! He dropped his shotgun; a weapon totally unsuited to the situation due to its area of effect, and pulled out the Desert Eagle, putting a couple of rounds straight through the head of the hostage taker. He put the safety on his gun as the siren sounded, indicating the exercise was over, and put it away as Iris came over to him, looking impressed.

"Nicely done Marx! There are guys on the SWAT team that should be eaten alive with jealousy!" She complimented him. He picked up his SPAS, securing the weapon.

"It's not a competition." He told her. "But I like the merchandise. You weren't kidding about it!"

"I never kid about firepower!" She told him. "So, are you finally going to tell me what this is all about?"

"Come to the bar after shift. I'm getting the Calibre Club together." He informed her. "I'll make it all clear there."

Just then, his phone rang. He pulled it out and answered it.

"Marx." He answered, before smiling. "Angela, it's been a while! Sorry I've been busy but..."

His face fell as he heard his friend on the other end of the line.

"Tell them I'll be over there soon." He told her. "I promise I'll do what I can."

He looked to Iris.

"I've got to go, but I'll be at the bar about six." He told her. She handed him a bag of ammo.

"Alright, well...here's the rest of it." She told him. He looked inside and looked confused.

"There's more in here than I paid for." He told her. She just shrugged. "I...didn't even buy the bag!"

"When someone drops as much as you do in a single day, I figured a little bonus isn't out of the question." She answered. Trevor unloaded his weapons, putting the remaining rounds in the bag, before taking it from her. "I'll see you at the club!"

With that, he headed out to the garage. He opened the trunk, which had a steel case bolted into the back of it for more powerful ordinance. He'd never actually needed it until now, but he opened it, putting his arsenal in the back, before locking it and getting into the cruiser, pulling out of the parking lot at speed.

Over at the school, the whole place was abuzz. The teachers and the faculty had pretty much given up on getting the students to class and were now trying instead to clear the school. The entire lobby was full of students clamouring to get information on what was happening. Some were just rubber-neckers, people who wanted the gossip on the latest school scandal. Some were people who were eager to express their opinion on the matter one way or the other. Some of the members of the various teams Victor was on wanted to know what was going to happen to one of their star players. Some were calling for his expulsion, others were protesting his innocence. The Rangers were standing at the back of the room, watching the staff trying, and struggling to stop the place erupting into a riot! While Victor was popular for all the wrong reasons to a lot of people, the fact was, he was popular on both sides meaning there was very real danger of the whole school being ripped apart at the seams!

"Man, this is insane!" Preston commented. "I haven't seen people this pissed since they found out the school's beef stew was horse."

"I don't think I've ever seen anything like this!" Calvin commented. Sarah just nodded wordlessly.

"I don't get it, what's the big deal?" Viera asked them. "In my galaxy, warriors use performance enhancers all the time."

"Yeah, it's a little different here." Brody told her. "The school takes a really dim view on people bringing drugs into the school." Mick came over to them.

"Guys, go to the base, there's nothing you can do here." Mick told them.

"But we want to know..."

"Believe me, if there's anything I can tell you I will, but right now, we're basically trying to avoid a riot!" Mick told them. "Jennifer just called for the school to be shut for the day, so we're trying to get everyone to leave."

"But Mick..."

"Please, I could really do with you guys leading by example." Mick told them. "We're having enough issues."

There was a loud, shrill, piercing whistle, and they all turned to see Mrs Finch standing on a chair where she could be seen over the crowd.

"ALRIGHT! LISTEN UP!" She called out. "I don't care where you go, but if this school isn't cleared out in the next half hour, every student still on the grounds will be getting detention for a MONTH!"

There was another flare up, which she silenced with another whistle.

"I'm not joking, go home NOW!" She called out.

"But...Victor's entitled to representation in a disciplinary hearing!" Monty protested. "I'm the Student Body President..."

"Monty, you are neither Victor's parent, his attorney, his appointed guardian or a lawyer!" Mrs Finch warned him. "Now be the leader your students elected and help me get the students out of here before I put the entire student body on report!"

Reluctantly, people started to disperse; still unhappy with the fact the school was giving them no resolution to this issue. Brody just shrugged.

"Well, sticking around here isn't going to do us any good." He sighed. "I guess we're all heading to Levi's then."

They all just nodded. They had all called home to tell their parents they were going to be staying over at Levi's place to work on a project together. It was really the only thing they could think of to explain the fact that Hayley wasn't going to be going home for the foreseeable future, at least until they could figure out how to make her visible again. As they all started to file out, the school started to resemble some form of order again. Mrs Finch could only think how unusual it was to find it so difficult to get students to leave when they were told they could go home early. Normally, that kind of announcement would have left the place deserted in seconds.

Meanwhile, in Principal Hastings' office, Victor was sitting in a chair, looking incredibly worried. Levi was standing in the corner, his arms folded, keeping his eye on the whole proceedings. While Hastings' office did have cameras, by policy there was meant to be a second staff member on hand in these instances to witness everything that happened. Levi was not just uncomfortable about being back here since the last time he was in this office had been when Odious was still impersonating Hastings and the whole thing got very weird and still made his skin crawl to think about, but because he really didn't feel comfortable standing in judgement over Victor. Hastings put the vial and the syringe on the desk as she stood over him, the desk between them, giving Levi the feeling of seeing a judge in the docks.

"That isn't mine; I don't know how it got there!" Victor continued to protest.

"Victor, this was seen falling out of your bag." She said as calmly as she could. "Do yourself a favour and just admit to it!"

"I've never touched that stuff in my life I swear!" Victor screamed at them. "I'll piss in a cup right now! Go and get a kit and..."

"Victor, we've already called your mother." Levi said calmly. "Please, just...think about this for a minute."

"I am thinking about this! I'm thinking that someone has set me up!" Victor yelled at them, standing up. "If I was using would I be volunteering a test..."

"HGH doesn't show up on a lot of standard tests, it's one of the reasons people use it!" Hastings told him, adjusting her glasses.

"I did NOT do this!" Victor snapped, making Levi worry he was going to have to get involved. Principal Hastings just stared him down.

"You know, irritability and anger issues are side-effects." She reminded him. Victor was fuming as he sat back down. "Now, I don't know what you have or haven't taken, I can only go by what we've found, but this would go a whole lot better if you started talking."

"A moment ago you just told me to shut up." Victor said snidely.

"Victor, you're not doing yourself any good!" Levi warned him, trying to act as an intermediary. "Do you know what that stuff does to people? I've been in the gym culture a long time, I've seen it first hand, and it's not pretty!"

"I'd have to take your word for it since I don't TAKE IT!" Victor reiterated, trying not to blow up at the accusations.

"You know, you are pretty buff for a seventeen year old." Principal Hastings commented.

"That's what spending four hours a day in the gym and having a good diet does for you!" Victor replied.

"I can't promise you won't face consequences, but we only found this vial. That means you aren't going to be viewed as a dealer." Hastings said as she tried to reason with him, hoping to negotiate with him for a simple confession. "If you tell us where you got it, then we'll take that into account."

"I guess I got it from the steroid fairy!" He said sarcastically. "You know, like the tooth fairy? Only instead of leaving teeth and getting a dollar, they leave syringes!"

"Victor, you could be EXPELLED!" Hastings roared at him. "All those scholarships you keep getting sent? How long do you think it'll be before they all get retracted? Every team you're on could lose points or forfeit every game you've played if they can't tell when you started using!"

She drew close to him.

"Those precious trophies of yours? They're gone." She told him.

"I earned every one of those!" He argued.

"If we can't tell how many of them you won fairly, we'll take them all back." She told him. "Victor, try and look at this from my point of view..."

"Why should I? YOU won't look at it from MINE!" He snapped at her. "I know you hate me! You won't even consider the possibility that I'm innocent!"

"You know, maybe he has a point..."

"Mr Weston!" She interrupted him. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Mick came in with Trevor.

"Um...Officer Marx has come to see Victor." He informed them. Levi and Hastings looked at each other, completely confused.

"I haven't called the police." She told him.

"No, Victor's mother did." Trevor told them, looking at Victor, who just put his face in his hands. He put a hand on Victor's shoulder. "You see, as a single parent she does have commitments she can't get out of and asked me to come and represent him."

"She called the cops on her own son?" Levi asked, trying to figure out what was going on. The whole situation seemed to be spiralling out of control quickly.

"I'm a family friend." Trevor told them. "Well, Victor, it's been a while but I was hoping I'd see you under better circumstances."

Victor muttered something into his hands as Trevor looked to the others.

"I've been appointed his representative in this matter. I'd like to talk with him for a moment." He said to Levi and Principal Hastings. "I'd like a word with him."

"I'm not sure that's really..."

"I've served on narc cases." Trevor assured her. "Could you give us the room for a few moments?"

Principal Hastings just nodded. While kids accused of serious misconduct, especially ones that involved the police, had every right to refuse to speak until they spoke to a representative, the school did have every right to ask questions until their representative got there. Victor was never the sharpest knife in the drawer, and Hastings was hoping she'd have gotten him to talk about who supplied him before his guardian showed up. She didn't for one moment believe Victor to be a dealer, and if there was someone dealing in her school she needed to know about it, but now he was here, Victor had every right to speak to his appointed representative before being questioned. She just gestured to Levi to follow her, at which they walked out. Trevor looked to Victor as he let out a sigh.

"Look, Trevor..."

"Officer Marx." Trevor corrected him.

"I'm sorry?" Victor asked him.

"TODAY my name is Officer Marx!" He said as he went to the camera and unplugged it, before getting a chair and sitting with Victor. "Well, this is quite some mess you're in isn't it?"

"Please, I don't know where that came from..."

"Victor, I really hope you're not lying to me." Trevor told him, looking to him. "I'm here as a friend, I'm here...quite literally because your dad dragged my ass out of the battlefield and stitched be back together before I bled out. He was one of the finest people I've ever met, and I always prided myself on being his friend, but please, tell me this isn't how you try to honour him."

"I...didn't...DO IT!" Victor snapped at him. Trevor just nodded.

"Alright, I'll believe you." Victor answered as he put a hand on Victor's shoulder. "Now, how about telling me what did happen?"

Outside the room, Levi was standing, looking to the door as Principal Hastings paced impatiently. He took off his hat.

"Wow, I...can't believe it's gone this far." He commented. "I'm telling you, they might give you reading to do at college, but NOTHING prepares you for something like that."

"No, it doesn't get any easier either." She confirmed. Principal Hastings had unfortunately been through situations like this a few times in her career. "But there's one thing I need to talk to you about."

"What's that?" He asked.

"Don't ever undermine me in front of a student again!" She told him. Levi just looked stunned.

"But...I was just..."

"I understand your unique situation, and believe me it isn't easy but I'm being pretty accommodating to some pretty unusual circumstances from you and your friends." She told him. "But this is MY Command Centre. This is my domain, and I have to be seen in authority. I'm going to keep accommodating you and your friends, but make no mistake, if you ever question me in front of a student again, your career here will be over. Do I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly." Levi answered, looking a little uncomfortable. Just then, the door opened and Trevor and Victor came out.

"I've taken a statement from Victor, and I'd like to arrange for a proper defence." He told Principal Hastings. "I'm going to take him home."

"Alright, that's understandable. I'll arrange a meeting for Thursday." She told him. "Victor, you're suspended and banned from the school grounds until this investigation is concluded. Do you understand?"

Victor just nodded his head sadly before Trevor took him away. It was a trying day, and it looked like things weren't going to get any easier any time soon.


	24. Support And Guidance

The Rangers and Viera all arrived back at Levi's apartment. It was an impressive place, certainly far larger than a single guy really needed. It wasn't quite up to the Marcus Tien level of excess, but being a huge, open-plan upper-floor apartment with modern furniture, large-screen TV, numerous video games consoles, multiple mini-fridges full of drinks and gym equipment on-hand, it was truly like a dream bachelor pad!

"Home sweet home!" Levi declared with a smile.

"Wow, I knew you had money but DAMN!" Calvin remarked. "Don't you think maybe you should save something for a rainy day?"

"I think you underestimate how big some of those residual checks are." Levi told them. "Don't worry about it."

"So, I guess I should get started on my work." Preston said as he looked around. "Hayley, where are you again?"

It had been discovered that Hayley and anything she was wearing when she was hit by Preston's errant spell were turned invisible, but that she could cover up with other items which were unaffected. However, given the fact that the incident at the tennis court proved that they couldn't account for accidents causing parts of her body becoming exposed, along with the fact that she couldn't exactly walk around in a welder's outfit for the rest of her life meant that they figured having her walk to Levi's place invisible was probably for the best so they didn't freak anyone out with anymore "headless girl" incidents. A towel rose up and then looped around what Preston presumed was Hayley's neck.

"I'm over here." She sighed.

"I think I might have figured it out before the match." Preston told her. "Want me to take another crack at it?"

"You mastered the book in a couple of hours?" Viera asked him.

"I read the whole chapter from start to finish!" Preston assured her.

"That's, uh…not what I asked." She said a little cautiously. However, Preston was already preparing for his spell.

"Cigam Odnu!" He called out, pointing the Dragon Wand at Hayley. The Rangers watched as a beam shot out, hitting Hayley. They all watched as for a moment, the air started to shimmer and they could swear they saw things starting to come into view.

"Am I the only one seeing a brain?" Levi asked. "That's…kind of disturbing!"

"Is that her liver?" Calvin asked.

"Her spleen actually." Sarah corrected him. "OK, Preston, you're doing it, keep going!"

Preston held on as long as he could, but he felt harsh backlash coming along his wand, forcing him to break off contact. Hayley shifted back out of view again and disappeared. Preston swore loudly as he threw himself down onto the couch, pulling out the spellbook.

"I don't understand this, I don't know what I'm doing wrong!" He protested.

"Well, maybe the problem is…"

"Maybe you're just tired." Levi suggested. "I know I'm a little wiped out after today."

"Yeah, a lot's been going on." Brody agreed. "Not to mention you skipped lunch so you've not eaten."

"Yeah, I'll bet that's it!" Calvin answered. "Maybe you keep reading and we sort out something to eat and you try again a little later?"

"That sounds like a plan to me." Sarah agreed. "Levi, where's the kitchen?"

"Just through that door there." He told her. "I'll come help you!"

"Guys, I've just had a thought." Hayley stated. "If I eat while I'm invisible, will people still be able to…you know…see the food?"

"I…guess we'll find out." Calvin answered as he took her through to the kitchen to help. Viera went over to Preston, who was reading through the spellbook once more.

"Preston, have you thought…"

"Viera, I really have to concentrate on this." He interrupted her. "Sorry to be rude, but…I just need to get on with this."

Viera just turned and left, making her way towards the kitchen. As she did so, she pulled out the note from Monty and looked at it. If Preston didn't want her help, maybe it was time to concentrate on something for herself.

Meanwhile, Trevor arrived at a bar just a short way from the precinct after dropping off Victor at home. He had been suspended until the school could hold a formal disciplinary hearing. He had turned in the drugs to the precinct to be tested, but until then there wasn't much he could do. He would help Victor where he could as a favour to the family, but until then, there wasn't much more he could do. Right now, he had something of his own to deal with.

The Code Red was a cop bar in every sense of the term. It was only just down the street from the precinct and was run by Red Denver, a former officer and something of a legend in the precinct. He had opened up the bar with his pension after his retirement as a way to keep close to the precinct in any way they would let him. At least four out of every five customers was either a cop or a former cop that went there to exchange stories and sit for some drinks and appetisers.

It wasn't a dive, but it was also not going out of its way to encourage an influx of casual customers. The bar served beers and shots almost exclusively and the food was strictly what could be offered from a fryer or a microwave. Nacho plates, wings, jalapeno poppers and onion rings washed down with bourbon or Budweiser were very much the order of the day.

"Yo, Marx you're late!" Red called out, seeing him arrive. "The club's downstairs waiting on you!"

"Yeah, I got held up on a personal matter." Marx told him, heading around the bar and through a door and down into the basement.

Red was also a member and firm supporter of the Calibre Club. He lent them the basement of his bar for meetings. Normally they only met for the induction of new members or for special occasions, so to be called for a formal meeting was a little unusual, though not unwelcome as Red always made sure they were well provided for.

Trevor went down and found that he wasn't exactly hugely missed. The guys from the club were all down there, enjoying the benefits of Red's policy that club members ate and drank for free at club meetings. There was a lot of laughter and an air of celebration as he came in, shaking hands and accepting greetings on his way to the stage. While being a member of the Calibre Club wasn't exactly something that on the surface was much to brag about, since the entry requirement was to have been shot in the line of duty, many of the members of the club who were still serving felt that it made them a kind of elite, like it showed their commitment to the job that they would keep going when they could accept a pension check and go home. It was this kind of hard-core support that Trevor was looking for. He headed up to the stage, cutting off one of the members who was on the karaoke machine.

"Alright Lewis, get out of here before I write you up for Murder One of Paul McCartney!" Trevor laughed as Lewis vacated the stage for him. "Thank you for keeping the party going without me guys, I'm really sorry I wasn't here on time."

"You weren't missed!" Someone called out, raising a laugh from the group. Trevor just smiled at the joke.

"Alright, I guess I deserved that." He told them. "I called the club here today because of a recent incident in Manalua."

"Yeah, we all heard about the Skullovitch kid." Another member called out. "We've already voted, he's in!"

"Yeah, don't we have to wait for him to get out of the hospital for the induction though?" Another asked him. Trevor took out a flash drive, putting it into the machine to put images up on the screen.

"Spike will be one of us soon enough, but while that isn't in dispute, what I want to talk about today is making sure that what happened to him doesn't happen to anyone else." Trevor told them. "I'm here to tell you what the official reports won't. They official report says that he was trying to talk down Goodwill and the gun went off by mistake."

He pulled up an image of the Red Ranger.

"What they don't tell you is that this guy was there!" He told them.

"The…Red Ranger?" One of them asked.

"Wait, is that even our Red Ranger?" Another chimed in. "He looks different…"

"So, it was laundry day! What difference does it make?" Trevor asked. "You see the Spandex, you see the helmet! He stuck his nose in where it wasn't wanted and Spike ended up eating a bullet!"

"You're saying…"

"I'm saying if he didn't run in swinging his sword when Spike had already got him to agree to hand over the gun none of this would have happened!" Trevor told them. "We've all seen what happened since the Rangers showed up! Reports being shredded, incidents swept under the rug, people losing their homes, their businesses to their fire-fights. Now…now one of our own almost bit the big one because of them!"

"Marx, what are you saying?" Iris asked, approaching the stage. Trevor looked to her.

"I'm saying it's about time we do what we always should." He responded. "I'm saying it's about time we held them to account."

He pulled out pictures of each of the Ninja Steel Rangers, pinning them to the wall.

"I'm saying when exactly have the police department allowed anyone with a weapon to run around taking the law into their own hands?" He asked. "I say, now that we're no longer safe, we start taking them down!"

There was a long moment of silence, before the room erupted in laughter. Most of the cops in the room were struggling to stay in their chairs.

"Marx, they're the ones FIGHTING those monsters!" One of them yelled.

"Yeah, and why the hell did those monsters come here in the first place?" Trevor asked. "They keep saying they're after something called Power Stars and Ninja Steel, right? Well, when was the last time one of those Rangers offered you any? Do any of you even know what they are? Just because the Rangers don't want to give up their power, they fight their own little power struggle right here on our front lawn and we get to pick up the pieces! Well I'm sick of it!"

"Marx…is that why you wanted all that hardware I sold you?" Iris asked him. He just looked to her.

"I shot one of them at close range with my nine and it didn't even phase him." Marx confirmed. She just looked wide-eyed at him in shock.

"Holy shit!" She gasped, looking to the others. "He's serious…he really wants to go after the Rangers!"

"Even if you could, what the hell do you think is going to happen?" One of them asked. "You know there's a hands-off policy on the Rangers, right?"

"Yes, we've been told not to get in their way while they're helping others, that much is true." Trevor told them. "But you know what they CAN'T do? Stop us doing our jobs! I don't know about you but when I signed up I took an oath! Serve the public trust! Protect the innocent! UPHOLD THE LAW!"

"Marx, this is crazy, I really hope it's just the whisky talking." Someone said to him. "What are you planning on telling…?"

"I don't know about you, but I don't see licence plates on those Robot things of theirs." He commented. "I also seriously doubt any of them have insurance. Hell, how do we know any of them even have licences for those weapons they run around with?"

"You seriously want us to Al Capone the Rangers?" Someone asked. Al Capone wasn't necessarily the best example since it was well known he was a murderous criminal, but it was used for a particular strategy sometimes used against troublesome criminals. During the thirties, Al Capone was virtually untouchable by virtue of witnesses either being bought off or too terrified to stand against him, which is where the Federal Government came up with a new strategy. Ultimately, after seizing his financial records, they imprisoned him for income tax evasion. It wasn't the crime they WANTED to get him on, but ultimately it was a much easier crime to prove. It was now not unknown for police to look for slam-dunk cases on lesser crimes just to get difficult to catch crooks off the streets until they could find evidence for much more serious crimes. After all, murder could be difficult to prove without physical evidence, but driving without a licence, all they needed was a picture of someone behind the wheel and no DMV record of a drivers' licence in their name!

"I'm deadly serious!" Trevor told them, picking up a steak knife from one of the tables and walking over to the pictures, driving it right into one of the pictures. "If they want to help, they can sign up like everyone else? Who's with me?"

He turned around to see the crowd muttering among themselves. The first finished his drink, before quietly heading for the door. All the free beer and wings in the world wasn't worth this level of trouble! More and more followed suit, until Iris went up to him.

"Marx, please, think about this." She told him. "This is insane. I'd never have sold you all that stuff if I'd known…"

"If you don't want to get involved, then walk away." Trevor told her. Iris just shook her head and left. It was only then that Trevor noticed that there were still about a dozen officers left. "So, what? Are you all going to tell me how crazy this is?"

"Actually, we were thinking…maybe you have a point." One of them answered. "We were wondering what you wanted us to do."

Trevor paced for a moment, considering his options. He'd gotten a lot less support than he was hoping for, but to know there were others that were just as fed up as he was, he reminded himself of his days in the military. It was rare that they would fight in ideal conditions with all the resources they'd like. Right now, he had to make do with what he had.

"First thing's first, if we do this, it's clear we're on our own." He told them as he walked up to the board, pulling the steak knife out of the picture of the White Ranger, where he had driven it right through her helmet. "If you're not in this all the way, then leave now!"

None of them left. Trevor went to a table, picking up a bottle of Bud.

"Then I guess it's time for us to get started." He replied. "What do each of you have in the way of firepower?"

The following morning, Cosmo was ready to shoot his promo for Abrakadanger. He wanted to really make sure he wound up support and publicity for his matchup with the Rangers. While Abrakadanger had his own massive fan base from his independent work, and he didn't really "need" the publicity, it certainly wouldn't hurt the product. For one thing, there was always rumours of massive stars from Galaxy Warriors quitting and going independent and of independent stars signing contracts with the "big leagues" of Galaxy Warriors, but fans heard them so often that they quickly grew sceptical and adopted a policy of only believing it when they saw it. There were huge numbers of independent stars that had spent years proudly proclaiming they'd never work for Galaxy Warriors until the right check came along and they did just that, likewise a lot of the competitors on Galaxy Warriors quite often used the threat of taking their popularity to independent promotions as a negotiating tactic when their contracts came up. All in, Cosmo wanted to make sure that EVERYONE knew that this week, they'd be seeing Abrakadanger, the biggest star outside of Galaxy Warriors on his show!

"Ladies and Gentlemen, you've heard the rumours! You've read the dirtsheets, you've seen the anonymous internet sources, well now you get to hear it right from the mouth of your favourite host…"

"COSMO!" They all cried out, eagerly awaiting confirmation of the rumours. He could already see many of the audience holding signs and wearing Abrakadanger's shirts. Since none of them had been produced by him, he wasn't getting a dime from that, but that would soon change if all went according to plan. The only one that wasn't eager to see this was Galvanax, who was uncharacteristically sitting just off the stage, watching.

"I'm here to tell all of you, after working diligently and listening to my fans, that he's here! RIGHT HERE TONIGHT!" Cosmo yelled. Although he was filming this promo in the morning, it wouldn't air until the evening broadcast, giving him time to sweeten up the reception and maximise the impact. "Here he is, that Mighty Master of Mysticism…ABRAKADANGER!"

Abrakadanger stepped out of a huge cloud of smoke that erupted from the stage, making his entrance to thunderous chants of his name. There was, however, a couple of troublemakers in the front row who did not seem happy at all!

"YOU SOLD OUT!" They roared in their anger, starting up a chant. There was a culture among some of the loyal die-hard fans of independent promotions that the bigger promotions were too corporate and mainstream. They made their product too sterile and generic for their tastes to appeal to a wider audience. They often felt that performers who left their favourite promotions, especially for the bigger ones in search of bigger pay-offs were selling out and betraying the fans that 'made' them. It didn't matter to them that the warriors were themselves professionals who simply went for the best pay and conditions for their skills.

Security was about to move in when Abrakadanger stopped them with a gesture. He looked to the audience members who had the audacity to jeer him.

"Prepare to marvel at my magical mastery!" He declared as he swung his wand, casting a spell over the half-dozen or so troublemakers in the front row that were accosting him. They all turned into large, helium-filled balloons and started to float away. He walked over and started to pop the balloons with a spike on the end of his wand, much to the delight of the crowd. He spun around back into the middle of the stage and took a bow.

"And just as I dealt with THAT little annoyance, for my grandest trick, I will make Galvanax's Championship DISAPPEAR!" He proclaimed, getting huge roars from the crowd. Normally Cosmo would be angry at a talent going into business for himself like that, but the fact was, if Abrakadanger could pull off his boast and defeat the Rangers, and he really did make Galvanax as nervous as he seemed to, Cosmo was more than happy to just wait on the money rolling in!

"Well, your skills are impressive, but your opponents are not without some magic of their own!" Cosmo told him, turning Abrakadanger towards a screen, showing footage of the Blue Ranger and some of the impressive spells he had pulled off. He held the mic up for him. "So, tell us, how do you plan to combat that?"

"Ha, you call that magic? I've wiped away better magic than that with toilet paper!" Abrakadanger boasted. "I am more powerful than anything the Blue Ranger can throw at me! And just to prove it, I will give you a preview today!"

"Well, you heard it here first folks, it looks like Abrakadanger is off to whet our appetites!" Cosmo said as Abrakadanger disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Stay tuned for this clash of mystical titans!"


	25. Abrakadanger's Big Entrance

Principal Hastings arrived at the High School, parking up in her reserved space near the door, before heading to the back and struggling to get some boxes out of the trunk. She was trying hard to get them out, when she dropped her car keys on the ground. She muttered under her breath, trying to balance the boxes on the edge of the trunk, while stooping down to try and pick up her keys with her fingertips. Mick arrived on the scene and noticed her plight, helping her to pick them up.

"Hi there." He greeted her. "It...kind of looks like you could use a hand."

"I could use at least half a dozen hands." She grumbled. "I'm now four teachers short, meaning that this afternoon I'm going to be taking geography AND Home Economics. I've got the Education Department and what feels like the entire student and staff body breathing down my neck over the Victor thing, and then at some point I actually have to find time to do my OWN job."

"That...definitely sounds like a lot." Mick said, taking a couple of the boxes from her. "So, I don't claim to know anything about geography. You know, at least on this planet, but I do know how to cook."

"So you know how to bake?" She asked him.

"If I can make an edible birthday cake for Brody each year out of the leftovers on the Warrior Dome, then I'd say so yes." He told her. She just smiled as she closed up the trunk of her car.

"You know the sad fact is I can never tell if you're joking or not." She answered. He just shrugged.

"Everyone deserves a birthday cake right?" He asked. "Even if it's best not to over think where the ingredients came from."

"So, what's going on there?" Mick asked as he saw Monty standing on the edge of the pavement outside the school, talking to students as they went by and handing out fliers. Some of the students, as well as taking fliers from him also handed him some money.

"That would be Monty putting civics into action." She answered, closing her trunk and beginning to make her way towards her office. "He's not allowed to campaign on school grounds, but over there, outside the school, he can hand out all the fliers and crowd-fund Victor's defence fund all he wants."

"Defence fund?" Mick asked her. She just nodded.

"He's got a website and everything." She replied, opening the doors and letting them inside As they started heading towards the office, she stopped briefly by the desk to drop off a schedule for the receptionist. "I should know, my Social Media was blowing up with people posting links while telling me how they feel about the fact I've suspended Victor. He's trying to afford a lawyer and everything! Can you believe that? He wants to bring an actual lawyer into a school disciplinary hearing!"

"I...guess it makes sense given how serious all this is." Mick replied. "Are you sure you're not maybe jumping the gun on all of this? I mean...I've dealt with Victor a few times, I've even sent him to your office a few times, but this really doesn't seem like his kind of thing at all."

"Yes, and Ted Bundy was in his local newspaper being heralded a hero about a fortnight before he was arrested." She told him. Mick just blinked.

"I have no idea who that is." He said matter-of-factly. Principal Hastings was about to say something, before reminding herself that Mick wasn't from Earth and likely wasn't making that up. It's not like he had any real reason to have heard of one of the country's most prolific serial killers.

"All I'm saying is just because he's never been caught before doesn't mean he hasn't been doing this all along." She told him. "You and I both know how desperate he is to win trophies. More than a few of his wins were a little...questionable."

"I know, but there's a huge difference between skirting a few rules and outright cheating." Mick told her. Jennifer stopped in her tracks.

"Mick, am I going to have to have the same conversation with you that I did with Levi?" She asked him.

"Well, no of course not. I'd never question you in front of students." Mick told her as they entered her office. "But in case you hadn't noticed, there's no one else around, and when a kid's future, even a kid as grating as Victor, is in question I just want to make sure we're considering all the options."

"My hands are tied Mick, we found drugs in his possession, we have to suspend him." Jennifer replied, putting the boxes on the table. "He can end all this if he just tells us who his supplier is..."

"And in doing so admit to taking the drugs, losing all his athletics trophies..."

"ALL his trophies." She corrected him. Mick furrowed his brows.

"Wait, all of them?" He asked. "I can understand the sports ones, but what difference would taking HGH make to his pie-making trophy? Or his yodelling trophy?"

"What are you trying to say Mick?" She asked him.

"I'm just trying to say that even in the Warrior Dome; they presumed people were innocent until they were proven guilty." Mick told her. "Have you even considered the possibility he's telling the truth? All of this is starting to feel a little personal."

"I really don't need this right now!" She told him flatly, coming over and putting her arms around him. "I could use a little support." Mick gently removed her arms, surprising her.

"Jennifer, you know how I feel about you, and I'll back you whatever happens." Mick told her. "But I can't support this if Victor isn't going to get a fair hearing."

"You're...you're seriously pulling away from me right now?" She asked him. He just nodded.

"I'm just making sure you remember that the person I fell for is fair and just and always tries to see the best in people." Mick reminded her. "You forgave the kid that stabbed you, but you can't even consider the possibility Victor's on the level about this?"

Before anything else could be said, Mick left the room. Principal Hastings wanted to stop him, but there was one thing stopping her, something gnawing at the back of her mind, and that was the fact he was right. Victor had only been caught on circumstantial evidence. There was still every possibility the evidence would support his claims the drugs weren't his. She went around the opposite side of her desk, sat down and took a deep breath as her intercom sounded.

"What is it?" She asked.

"There's a member of the PTA here to see you." The receptionist told her. "It's about the...uh...disciplinary hearing."

"Oh joy." She said sarcastically. "Send him in."

Out in the parking lot, Calvin pulled up in Nitro with Hayley, Viera and Kody, while Brody arrived with Preston and Sarah. Levi was making his own way in, and would be arriving shortly behind them. Not only did he have a bit of coursework to prepare for his class, they also figured it was for the best that he wasn't seen arriving with them. He already spent a fair bit of time with them at the school, even outside of class, and while they didn't advertise the fact that they had spent the night at Levi's place, even for a place as liberal and broad-minded as California, a teacher having a bunch of students staying at his place might just raise a few more eyebrows than was necessary.

As they got out, Hayley put a hand on Calvin's shoulder to make sure he knew where she was.

"I'm going to the base." She told them. "Come on Kody, it looks like we have another thrilling day ahead of us."

The others stopped s they saw Monty running his campaign for Monty. The whole school was pretty heavily divided over the whole issue, but all of them were vocal. The hashtags #FreeTheSummerCoveOne and #VictorOut had been hotly contested on Social Media the whole night.

"You've got to hand it to him, that is a real friend right there." Calvin commented, seeing Monty's #FreeTheSummerCoveOne t-shirt and seeing him rallying supporters.

"Yeah, I just hope it's not misplaced." Brody answered. Sarah just stared at him.

"Brody, you don't actually think Victor did this do you?" She asked him. He just shrugged.

"Victor's the kind of guy that would do anything to win." Brody said in an off-hand way. "I can believe he might take a short-cut..."

"But not cut out the race altogether!" Sarah protested. She had learned a lot about Victor since she had started at the school. There were some things she still hadn't even told her friends. One thing she knew that even Monty didn't was that although Monty did his homework out of some kind of sense of duty given Victor's protection of him since Grade School, Victor didn't in fact hand any of it in! He handed in his own work! She didn't claim to love the guy at times, he was still a complete arrogant jackass, but she doubted a guy that could be handing in straight-A homework if he wanted would be settling for a B+ average would then go and take that kind of short-cut. As impressive as Victor's body was, and it WAS pretty damn impressive she had to admit, she had seen him in the school gym and it was pretty clear he put in a lot of work.

"Guys, can we not do this?" Preston asked in a weary way. He had been up most of the night until he finally fell asleep out of pure exhaustion trying to memories the chapter on the undo magic spell. "I'd really prefer we didn't fight today."

"I guess that's probably for the best." Calvin said with a shrug as Levi finally arrived and started to head over. "Hey Mr Weston."

"Mr Weston." Brody chuckled, shaking his head. "That still cracks me up."

"Well, strictly speaking I am a teacher." Levi reminded him. "So, Hayley, how are..."

"She's already gone to the base." Calvin told him. Levi just smiled.

"OK, that's going to take some getting used to." He said, before being hit in the chest by Sarah, who glared at him, before flashing a glance Preston's way. The Blue Ranger felt badly enough about how long it was taking him to find out how to turn her back without Levi making it seem like something they were going to have to get used to because it was going to take a long time to correct. "Um...I mean..."

"It's OK, I know what you mean." Preston muttered. "I'll keep reading the chapter when I get in..."

"Preston, maybe the answer isn't in that chapter." Viera suggested. "You were meant to..."

"I should probably get inside now anyway." He answered. "I've got a LONG day ahead of me."

"Yeah, you really need to get working on that spell." Levi agreed as they walked off. Viera just sighed as she watched them walk away. That was when she saw someone walking past in one of Monty's t-shirts. She headed over to him and smiled seeing the crowd surrounding him.

"Wow, it looks like you're working really hard!" She said, looking at all of his material. Monty stood, staring at her and started stammering.

"I...um...well...I...I just want to make sure Victor isn't punished for something he didn't do." Monty told her.

"You've never even considered the fact that he might have done it have you?" She asked him. Monty just shook his head, suddenly seeming a lot more certain than he had in front of her.

"Victor would probably kill me for telling anyone this but...he hates needles." Monty told her. "I mean like...REALLY hates needles! He actually fainted getting his polio shot! The only way he could get his TB shot was the fact I was there to support him!"

"Monty..."

"It's not just needles; he doesn't like taking any medicines." Monty assured her. "He doesn't even like taking aspirin!"

"Monty, I believe you!" She said, putting a hand on his face, raising a huge, goofy grin from him. "I'm just thinking how amazing a friend you are that you're standing up for him this vigorously. It reminds me of...of friends I had...that I wish I still did."

She looked around his materials some more.

"You know, I have acted as an advocate before." She told him.

"You have?" Monty asked her.

"Yes, well at my uh...last school...I did act as an advocate in some kids' disciplinary cases." She said semi-truthfully. In fact, she had actually been taught law back home as part of her education for eventually taking over as monarch, and while she was sure this was going to be a little different, she thought maybe some of her skills might be transferrable. "I know you're trying to get a lawyer, but if you don't manage it, I guess I could help with the case."

"Really? You'd help?" He asked her.

"Yes, but...I guess I should look the part, right?" She asked, picking up a t-shirt. "You don't mind right?"

"Well, I um...oh...OK!" Monty said, before turning away quickly and turning bright pink as Viera whipped off her T-shirt right in front of him! She had spent her life getting dressed and prepared in front of servants, and so she didn't really have the same hang-ups on dressing in front of others that most people did. There were some wolf-whistles as well, since not many kids were used to seeing one of their peers pulling off their clothes in a public place! Viera though was largely oblivious as she pulled on the #FreeTheSummerCoveOne t-shirt.

"There!" She replied. "Well, how does it look?"

"It...it looks great." Monty stammered as he looked to her. Viera smiled as she took up a position next to him, picking up some fliers.

"Free the Summer Cove One!" She called out as she started handing them out.

Elsewhere on the school grounds, the Rangers were heading towards the school building when Brody held up a hand. They all paused.

"Wait, does anyone else hear that?" He asked them. They all started to listen intently, noticing a distinct buzzing sound. On the surface it sounded almost like an insect but it was a little higher-pitched, and sounded almost mechanical. Levi pointed to a tree.

"Up there." He said, drawing their attention. "Buzz-Cam!"

"There's another over there!" Calvin said as he pointed one out landing on a nearby wall.

"I think we all know what this means." Brody said as suddenly a column of smoke appeared. Moments later, Abrakadanger stepped out, standing before the Rangers. His cloak billowed out from him as he stood before them, preparing to make his grand entrance.

"This is it? This is the mighty Power Rangers I've heard so much about?" Abrakadanger scoffed, staring at them. "If you're the kids that have given Galvanax so many problems, taking his title once I'm finished with you will be easier than I thought!"

"You know, we've heard a lot of monsters say the same thing. Funny thing is we're still standing and they're not!" Sarah replied. "What makes you think it'll end any differently with you?"

"I'm Abrakadanger, the most powerful master of mystical might in the universe!" He proclaimed, standing before them. "Perhaps if you all give up now, I'll only turn you into pets instead of obliterating you completely!"

"You talk a big game." Levi stated. "Let's see you back it up!"

"You asked for it! Let's see how you do with a simple trick! ONREFNI!" He yelled as he pointed his wand their way. The Rangers were all forced to dive out of the way as a massive column of flame came their way, rushing into cover. Abrakadanger just started laughing. "Are you SERIOUS? That's the kind of thing they teach kids in kindergarten where I come from! So, which one of you is the so-called wizard? Which one of you is the Blue Ranger?"

"He's...not that observant is he?" Calvin asked as Preston gulped.

"If he wants to trade tricks, let's show him one of ours!" Brody yelled as he broke cover. The others formed up behind him, running for the wizard. "NINJA SPIN!"

Meanwhile, in another area of town, a few streets away from the school, Trevor was on his knees, his arm reaching down a storm drain. He smiled as he finally grabbed what he was looking for, and making sure he got a good grip, he pulled it out. A sad-looking, soggy and filthy ball of fur that just mewed pathetically as he brought it out, and holding it at arms' length because of the inevitable smell, placed it carefully into the waiting towel in the arms of his elderly owner.

"There you go Mrs Lebowski, one slightly soggy Murgatroyd, safe and sound." He told her with a smile. "I'd say one nice, warm bath is definitely in order!"

"Thank you so much Trevor, I don't know what this stupid kitten's fascination with that drain is." She said, wrapping the kitten up warmly in the blanket. "I keep trying to train her, but she's just as stubborn as my dear departed husband."

"It's definitely different; normally I'd expect to rescue cats from a tree!" He responded.

"Well, I simply MUST repay you!" She told him. "I've got some lovely Ceylon in the house, and I just have to make you a cup!"

"Now that sounds like..."

"Calling all units, this is dispatch." A call came across the radio. "There are reports of a monster sighting at Summer Cove High School."

"Dispatch, this is car 17, show me responding." Trevor said over the radio.

"Marx! You're on community duty today!" The responder answered. "You don't have a partner, you're not meant to..."

"I'm only two blocks away; I'll be there before any of the other units!" Trevor snapped. "Show me responding!"

He looked to Mrs Lebowski.

"I'm really sorry; I'm going to have to take a rain check." He told her. She just smiled and nodded.

"I understand, you go help those Rangers!" She stated, holding up Murgatroyd. "Go on sweetie, say goodbye to the nice officer!"

Trevor threw himself into the car and gunned the engine, turning on his siren to try and clear the way as he sped towards the school.


	26. Learn The Basics

By the time Trevor sped into the school parking lot, the emergency alarm was already sounding and people were already fleeing the property. In many ways it was a good thing, the less people in harms' way the better. Heading around to the back of the car, he opened the trunk and started pulling out his gear.

Strapping on his flak vest, he grabbed a helmet, jamming it on his head and pulling down the visor, before unlocking the strong box, giving him access to his arsenal. Stowing his 9mm in the back, he replaced it in his holster with the Desert Eagle and grabbed the shotgun, before closing the trunk. He saw Mrs Finch directing students around the building and went over to her.

"Where are they?" He asked.

"They're around the back, near the science block!" She told him, beginning to coral students away from the building. "I think they were...hey, where are you going?"

She watched as Trevor ran off around the building, leaving her to the evacuation. She just sighed.

"No Evans, put the camera away and head AWAY from the building!" She warned one of the students. "No, I DON'T care about your Constitutional Rights when I'm responsible for your safety! Don't make me call your parents!"

Around the other side of the building, the Rangers were quickly finding that Abrakadanger had not exaggerated his magical abilities. They had seen monsters with magical powers and weapons before, but this guy seemed to be on a whole other level. As Brody and Calvin hit the ground, Levi prepared his Rockstorm Blaster.

"Rockstorm Blaster, Tornado Attack!" He called out. "You're full of hot air; let's see how you do with FAST air!"

"Oh please, you think a little wind scares me? Ezeerb Eltneg!" He called, generating a bubble of energy that intercepted the attack. By the time it reached him, the winds barely made his cloak flutter. "But if you want to see a real attack, maybe I can DELIVER! Sserpxe Yreviled!"

A ribbon fluttered out of the end of Abrakadanger's wand, wrapping him up and binding him tightly. Levi struggled to get free, but a moment later, he noticed something else appearing on him.

"What the hell is this?" He asked, before seeing some print appearing on it. "New York? What is that FOOOOOOOOOOOOOR!"

The other Rangers could only watch as Levi flew high into the air and disappeared into the distance, Abrakadanger just cackled insanely, taking pride in his work.

"It looks like your friend has a long journey ahead of him!" He teased them. "I really hope he has a train ticket!"

"That's ENOUGH!" Sarah screamed, drawing her Ninja Sword over her shoulder. "Bring him back or I'll..."

"You'll what? Hit me with that...fish?" He asked as a beam flew from his wand. "Nomlas!"

Sarah felt her sword go limp, and seem to become heavier. She brought it back around, looking in horror to see that it had turned into a six pound salmon! Seeing Abrakadanger laughing at her, dancing in delight at his handiwork, she took a couple of quick steps, before bringing the salmon hard across his face. He just stared up at her from the ground in shock. He glared up at her as she stood over him.

"You think that was FUNNY?" He screamed, firing a blast into her which sent her flying straight into Calvin and Brody, who were only just getting up. Preston was still recovering from one of his early attacks. He looked up in time to see Abrakadanger powering something up.

"You all think I'm just playing around!" Abrakadanger sneered. "I'll show you what happens when you toy with me! Syot Snerdlihc!"

Preston saw his attack powering up, and fumbled to get a hold of the Dragon Wand. He didn't spend much time on the other spells, but he did see that there was a protection spell, one that blocked incoming magical spells...but what WAS it? Was it called a wall spell? Shield spell? BARRIER! That was it! Wracking his brain, he threw his hand forward, not even sure of the wand motion and only hoping it would work.

"Reirrab!" He called out. A shape appeared in the air between his friends and Abrakadanger, though it didn't look particularly strong or impressive. More a kind of thin sheet no thicker than a pane of glass. Abrakadanger's spell smashed straight through it, striking the Rangers and bathing them in a bright glow. Preston could only watch as his friends disappeared, being replaced by a pink stuffed unicorn, a red teddy bear, and a yellow toy truck.

"This is pathetic! YOU'RE the mighty wizard I was warned about?" Abrakadanger laughed loudly as he pointed at Preston, all but doubling over. "You can't even do a barrier spell!"

"What did you do to my friends?" Preston screamed at him.

"I thought it would be obvious. I turned them into toys!" He taunted him. "That said, I was tempted to turn the pink one into a fish after that fish slap she gave me...but I hear that's been done."

"I'm warning you..."

"Warning me? You can't even hope to challenge me! You aren't fit to even hold that wand, never mind use it!" Abrakadanger told him. "Don't embarrass yourself any further!"

"I might not be a master wizard yet, but I can figure out how to turn them back." Preston said, putting his wand away and pulling out his sword. "So I guess I have to take care of you with old-fashioned brute force!"

He charged straight for Abrakadanger, dodging a couple of incoming spells, before swinging his sword for him. The wizard dodged a couple of strikes, but in his fury, Preston managed to score a couple of hits, and forced Abrakadanger to resort to using his wand as a quarterstaff to defend himself. Preston could feel the power coming from the wand, and switched up his game plan, dropping his sword and grabbing the wand and trying to wrest it from his grip. If he couldn't use his wand, then he was damn sure not going to let Abrakadanger use his!

Trevor was rounding the building, stopping at the corners to check out the way ahead as he made his way around the building. As he approached the back, he could hear the sounds of a struggle, and he glanced around, finding Preston and Abrakadanger both wrestling for the wand.

He checked his weapon, flipping off the safety catch and slipping his finger inside the trigger guard, steeling himself to make his move. He broke cover, running straight for them both as Preston and Abrakadanger were pulling in opposite directions with the wand between them.

"Let GO!" Abrakadanger screamed at Preston.

"Fat chance!" Preston answered, before suddenly there was a loud roar and both he and Abrakadanger tumbled backwards. Preston looked to see his hands were empty, but looking across at Abrakadanger, he could see that he was sitting on the ground, with the head of his wand in his left hand, while the broom part was in his right, the ends near the middle were smoking, having been broken apart.

"MY WAND!" Abrakadanger screamed. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"

With that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Preston knew enough about magic to know that even without a wand, a wizard could perform impressive feats of magic, and it seemed that Abrakadanger had a lot of power all of his own. He looked up to see an armoured police officer approaching with a shotgun and realised what had to have happened. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks for that, you don't know..." Preston's words tailed off as he saw the gun pointing right at him. "...OK, what are you doing?"

"Turn around, hands behind your back!" Trevor yelled at him. "You're under arrest!"

"You're...you're not serious right?" Preston asked. "Under arrest for what?"

"I'll figure it out!" Trevor told him. "Now, I'm coming to cuff you. Make a move and I will fire!"

"Listen, whatever this is, I'm sure it's just..." Preston was cut off and the air was driven out of him as Trevor clearly took his attempt to reach out to him as justifiable as an attack. The shotgun roared and hit him square in the chest, driving all the air out of his ribcage. Preston was thankful for the suit, which seemed to have saved him. He saw the armoured cop advancing on him.

"That was a shot from eight feet." Trevor warned him. "The next one will be much closer! Just lie there and put your hands where I can see them!"

Before he got to Preston though, he suddenly felt someone grab his helmet and yank at it roughly. In his hurry to get to the scene he hadn't put on the chin strap, and the helmet was spun completely around so that he couldn't see, before someone swept his legs out from under him and he felt his gun being pulled from his hands.

"What the hell?" Preston asked, completely confused, before he felt a pair of unseen hands grabbing him, helping him to his feet.

"That's not going to distract him for long!" Hayley told him. "Grab those and come on!"

Although he couldn't see where Hayley was pointing, by context he presumed she was talking about the toys that were their friends. He scooped them up while Hayley threw the shotgun up onto the roof of the school out of reach.

Trevor finally managed to turn his helmet back the right way in time to see Preston preparing to run off. He pulled out his Desert Eagle. Preston didn't need to see anything else to figure it was time to use one of the tricks he knew he had perfected. In a puff of smoke he disappeared. Trevor put his pistol away.

"Son of a BITCH!" He snapped. Still, there was one thing that he did know. His shotgun had clearly hurt the Ranger. He hadn't just shrugged it off like the Red Ranger had shrugged off his nine. Now the Blue Ranger knew that they weren't playing with kid gloves. Perhaps now the Rangers would think twice before bringing their grudge matches into a school again.

Up on the Warrior Dome, Abrakadanger arrived to a huge crowd reaction. Cosmo came over to him.

"WOW! Talk about a preview!" He called out. "A battle that didn't even last five minutes and you've already turned three Rangers into harmless toys!"

"That Blue Ranger broke my staff!" Abrakadanger ranted as he held it up.

"Oh, well...Galaxy Warriors carries no liabilities for the property of participants..."

"That's NOT what I was complaining about!" Abrakadanger snapped. He looked straight into the camera. "You may think you've been clever Blue Ranger, but now I've got three days to fix my wand and when I do, I'll show no mercy! I may have been messing around for the crowd before but now, I'm going to show you why I am one of the most feared spell-casters in all existence! You will rue the day you ever heard the name Abrakadanger!"

"Well, you heard it here first folks, Abrakadanger is hot and swearing revenge on the Blue Ranger!" He announced. "Tune in Friday for the Magical Marvel and the Blue Dragon! Don't you dare go anywhere else!"

With that, he ended the broadcast, at which Galvanax came out onto the stage. He stood over Abrakadanger, laughing.

"You whine because someone broke your toy?" Galvanax asked him. "A true warrior doesn't need a weapon! Go back to birthday parties and gala performances and leave the sport to the true warriors!"

"Wrench, take Abrakadanger to your lab." Cosmo told his intern, who was still very slowly being rebuilt. He now actually had two arms, but was still missing everything below his solar plexus, and could only get around by virtue of being carried by a Kudabot. "Give him all the assistance he needs!"

"You know, I might get the job done a little quicker if..."

"Oh Wrench, you know that I need to stick to a budget!" Cosmo told him. "Who knows, perhaps if you do a good job Abrakadanger could provide you with some legs."

"Come this way!" Wrench sighed. "So, what do you need? Sandpaper? Nails? PVA glue?"

"I'll deal with the repairs myself." Abrakadanger said gruffly. "All I need is a quiet space to work."

Meanwhile, over in Times Square, a mounted police officer came over to a woman and her kids who were staring at a map, looking rather lost.

"Can I help you there Ma'am?" He asked.

"I was just...I can't seem to find the hotel." She told him. "I thought I was heading the right direction but I don't recognise it..."

"Let me help you out there." The cop said, coming down off his horse and looking at the map. It was a concierge street map that he had marked the location of the hotel on. He took it and turned it around.

"I see the problem, you just have it upside down." He told her. "The easy way to remember is in Manhattan, the streets run north to south, and the avenues run east to west. Everything is numbered after that. So...your hotel is just...three blocks that way."

"Oh, thank you! I think I just got turned around in the store..." She said, before letting out a scream. The cop turned around in time to see something coming straight for them. He grabbed the woman and her kids, shoving them aside as something streaked into the concrete, rolling to a stop a little way off. Quickly people started gathering around as they saw it was the Gold Ranger, wrapped in ribbon and with a delivery note pinned to him.

"Sorry about that folks, sorry!" Levi said as the ribbons disappeared, finally releasing him. "Sorry, I didn't mean any harm, I just...wait...is this...is this Times Square?"

The cop and all the others just nodded wordlessly. Levi just sighed, before getting on his Ninja Comm.

"Guys, you're not going to believe this, Abrakadanger just punted me clean to the other side of the country!" He told them.

"He did what?" Preston shrieked.

"Yeah, I'm in Times Square!" He stated.

"Well, how long will it take you to get back?" Preston asked.

"I don't know, it's not like my Zord flies or anything, and it's kind of a little crowded to bust it out here." He told them.

"Well, get back when you can." Mick told him. "I have a feeling Abrakadanger is NOT going to be happy when he comes back."

"Yeah, well neither am I." Levi answered as he hung up. He looked to the cop. "Um...listen, I don't want to risk busting my Zord out here, what's the fastest way out of the city?"

He just pointed to the subway. Levi just looked to it, then back to him.

"Thanks." He replied, before making his way towards the stairs. He paused for a moment and then looked back to him. "Um...one last thing...I don't have pockets in this outfit. If I agree to a selfie, could someone give me some...?"

Hundreds of hands all thrust forward. Levi just sighed.

"Looks like this could take a while." He muttered as he posed with the cop.

Back at the Ranger base, Preston was standing with his spell book in hand, in front of a table with the toys sitting on it. Hayley was sitting on a stool behind the table with a hoodie on so that he could see where she was. He furrowed his brows in concentration.

"Cigam Odnu!" He called out, the desperation in his voice obvious. He found that just like the other fifty or do times he'd tried it, absolutely nothing of note had happened. The closest thing to any effect was that the yellow truck Calvin turned into rolled a little, but they put it back, this time trapping it between Sarah and Brody to prevent that happening again.

"What is WRONG with this thing?" Preston snarled in frustration, shaking his wand like he was trying to strangle it into doing what he wanted.

"Preston, maybe rough handling of the highly powerful wand is not a good idea." Mick suggested.

"Come on Preston, you can do this." Hayley told him. "You're the amazing Presto Chango!"

"I don't feel very amazing." Preston grumbled. "I only lucked out with Abrakadanger because Robocop showed up and broke his wand...while he was aiming at ME!"

"Preston..."

"I mean what the hell was that even about? Since when do cops start taking pot-shots at us?" Preston asked. "It's not bad enough that Galvanax wants us dead, now we have to worry about cops too?"

"Preston, maybe we should focus on one problem at a time." Hayley suggested. "We can find out what that thing with the psycho cop was all about later, right now, you should get back to that undo spell."

"Yeah, you should totally do that." Mick said, picking up a tennis racket. "While you do that, since we have a little time, I think I'll go learn how to play tennis!"

"Tennis?" Hayley asked him. Mick could definitely be random, but this was a departure even for him. Usually he could be counted on to keep his mind on the task at hand.

"Yeah, I mean its easy right?" He asked, picking up a tennis ball. "I mean, I just get the racket and swing it like this right?"

Hayley and Preston both had to duck as the ball sailed through the air, narrowly missing them both and knocking some tools and parts off the shelves. Mick continued to swing, looking like a demented lunatic as he pretended to play an imaginary opponent. Redbot started darting around picking up stuff he was knocking over.

"Suffering circuits!" He exclaimed. "Someone stop him!"

"MICK!" Hayley called out as she snatched the tennis racket from him. "What are you doing?"

"Learning to play tennis." He reiterated. "Can I have that back, I kind of need it..."

"Mick, you can't just pick up a racket and play tennis!" Preston called out. Mick paused for a moment and looked deep in thought.

"Hm...maybe you're right. Maybe I shouldn't learn tennis." He stated. "I know...maybe I'll learn ninjutsu instead! That way I can help you guys!"

"Mick..."

"I mean, I've watched you guys do it, it can't be that hard right?" He asked, beginning to throw a few kicks, before with one attempt at what they could only assume was MEANT to be a jumping spin kick, Mick ended up landing on his butt in a crumpled heap on the floor. He was helped up by Preston as he rubbed the back of his head. "Wow that is a LOT harder than it looks!"

"No kidding!" Preston replied sarcastically. "Mick, ninjutsu isn't easy! Brody studied for years! I remember messing up a whole bunch when he was teaching us, hell, for the first week all he did was teach me how to do a punch in horse-stance!"

"Yeah, and there's a lot more to tennis than just swinging a racket as hard as you can! I practiced every day for a year!" Hayley added. "I had to work on my grip, my stance, my positioning..."

"Really, so you're saying that there are a lot of BASICS to learn before you go right ahead and do all the cool looking stuff?" Mick inquired.

"Of course there is!" Hayley said.

"And so taking shortcuts would be a bad idea right?" Mick asked them.

"Terrible!" Preston stated. Mick just pointed towards the huge book, drawing Preston's gaze to it. "Which is...exactly what I've been doing all along."

"And what I suspect Viera has been trying to tell you all along." Mick reminded him.

"But she never..." Preston suddenly remembered a few occasions over the past couple of days where Viera had tried to talk to him while he was trying to figure out his spells, but he had brushed her aside telling her he was concentrating on his work. "...aw man, I am such a bad friend!"

"For what it's worth, I think she probably understands. But an apology wouldn't be out of the question." Mick told him. "Now for the good news, because of the damage to the school, Principal Randall has called for school to be closed until Thursday."

"That's GOOD news?" Hayley asked him.

"Of course it is!" Mick said, guiding Preston back to his stool and sitting him down. "Because that gives Preston here a couple of days to work on this...and this time..."

He closed over the book and opened the front cover, turning to page one.

"But this time, you can do it right." Mick said, tapping the page. Preston sighed and nodded.

"Alright, but can you at least run out for some shakes or something?" Preston asked him. "I...don't reach the chapter on how to turn things into food for a while."


	27. A Spell of Hard Work

The following day, Trevor was at the precinct, writing up his report of the attack on the school. Normally, across his career, his paperwork was beyond reproach. Even in his days back in Afghanistan, his field logs were always meticulous in their detail and contained tremendous amounts of information. It wasn't unknown for him to be able to descriptively map virtually his entire patrol, describe in detail everyone he met, give complicated schematics and even materials used of any weapons and devices he found. Looking at this report, it was almost impossible to recognise the paperwork of a man who once wrote a fifteen-page workup on a home-made claymore he had once discovered in a sandstorm.

He was well aware of the fact that his colleagues often left out details in reports. Things were missed or forgotten, and sometimes, just omitted as unimportant. Of course, sometimes they were also left out because those details showed things that they weren't meant to be doing and incriminated people in disciplinary infractions. He had never been one to write reports like that, he had seen enough cross-examinations go side-ways in court based on details that were missing from reports that he always made a point of putting in everything. Of course, over the last few months, with all the reports he'd seen being redacted, go missing, or even just shredded when it came to the Rangers, he didn't really see much point in putting in details that he knew were likely to go missing altogether anyway.

He was well aware of the unofficial no-touch policy on the Rangers. It wasn't just public relations, officers were instructed to go onto crowd control and after the battles clean-up after the battles. It was galling to him to watch men that had served on the force for decades with brooms and trash bags, cleaning up debris from the Rangers' battles like some kind of B-Squad that was only sitting on the bench while the first team took all the glory and got all the credit. It wasn't like he ever saw the Rangers giving CPR to the bystanders or organising alternate accommodation for those who had been left without homes in the wake of their battles. They never had to call a family to tell them one of their loved ones was in hospital or worse, would not be coming home. No, they just posed on television while things blew up all around them. He had, however, figured that when all was said and done, he had a job to do, and it wasn't as though his superiors could instruct him to not do his job. If he watched a crime being committed, it was his duty to intervene.

He looked at his 'report', something of an embarrassment for him. Only three pages that left out so much he saw there being no need for anyone else to know, least of all the suits that no doubt would soon turn up to put it through the shredder and hand him the 'real' version of the report. There was no point to tell them about the shotgun, which he had already retrieved and put back in the strong box in the trunk of his car. There was no point in telling them about the fact he had opened fire on a Ranger. There was no need to say much of anything. As he finished, he signed the statement and headed towards Ellie's desk to hand it to her for filing.

"This one's a little light for you Trevor." She commented.

"Yeah, there really wasn't much to tell." He told her. "You know, the Rangers did most of the work…as usual."

Ellie didn't say anything in response. She, like many, was well aware of Trevor's frustrations with the Rangers. They were frustrations that were shared by more than a few people in the department, but with Ellie having lived in three Ranger cities in her life, she had a different view. While she spent a significant amount of time in hospital afterwards, she had survived a monster attack in Amber Beach as a direct result of the Rangers, and her husband was still around thanks to the Ninja Rangers' actions in the battle at the Ribbon Tree. To her, the Rangers did more good than harm, and she was grateful for their presence, but she didn't feel the need to get into a fight with her friend over their disagreement on this matter.

"You're a little quiet." He commented.

"Oh, I'm just missing Sarah, that's all." She sighed. "I know, I know, it's silly, she's only staying at a friends' place to work on a project, but I'm just not used to her not being around, tinkering on one of her devices or telling me what she's working on."

"Yeah, I'm a little sore about the fact Hayley's away as well." Trevor admitted. "I know she's got her own life, and in a couple of years we're probably going to barely see her when she's off to college, but we only get her a month about, losing a week is a big thing. It makes me really regret missing that dinner we were supposed to have."

"I'm sure Hayley understands." Ellie told him. Before he could answer though, a woman in a suit appeared. He recognised her from earlier, but had to do a double-take when he did.

"Sterling?" He asked as she appeared. "Where the hell did you come from?"

"My office." Grace answered. "The department was kind enough to accommodate me with a room, the one just down the hall on the right."

"You mean the shredding room?" He asked her. "That seems appropriate."

"Yes, it may not have the creature comforts of my usual office, but I've been in less pleasant surroundings." She told him. "This report is a little light for you."

"I didn't have much to tell." He said with a shrug. Grace took a cursory glance at the document, before smiling.

"I'm sure there's nothing you left out that we need to know." She replied. "I'll take this for now, but I may have to get back to you on it."

"You know how to reach me." He stated. With that, Grace left, taking the report with her. Trevor kicked the desk in frustration.

"Hey, mind the furniture!" Ellie stated. "I know it's not exactly top-of-the-line, but the department doesn't have a great track record with ordering supplies! I know I stamp the approvals! I'd rather not work on the floor for three months!"

"Sorry Ellie." He snorted. "I can't help it; the woman just rubs me the wrong way."

"She does have a gift for that, you should see the way she clears a room when she comes." Ellie told him. "It's amazing to think she was almost the first woman on the moon."

"I'm sorry what?" He asked.

"She was, she was in NASADA!" Ellie informed him. "She did a few missions, but then she went and formed her own science and engineering firm Promethea."

"I thought she was a fed!" He answered.

"She wears a lot of hats." Ellie told him. "I've heard she does so much work for the Government she holds a few positions there."

"How do you know so much about her?" Trevor asked.

"How else? Sarah's been looking at internships and grants with Promethea for a couple of years now." Ellie explained. "Grace is kind of a hero of hers. As far as role models go, who better than a woman who only missed out on the moon mission to Armstrong."

"Armstrong? NEIL Armstrong?" He asked. "That was in 1969!"

"Kind of badass huh?" She asked. "I know I'd love to be half as active as her in my mid-seventies!"

"Yeah…that's something alright." He agreed. "Anyway, I want to go check with the lab on Victor's case. I'll catch you later."

With that, he left the building, perfectly confident that his report would never see the light of day. In the meantime, he had more work to do.

Over in the school, things were quiet. The school had been shut down for the rest of the week due to the damage after Abrakadanger's attack, which meant that Preston now had some space to work uninterrupted on his spell book.

He was sprawled out over the book, snoring loudly, having finally fallen asleep. He had been reading through the whole book, spending the entire day with very little time for rest. He now knew that it was his attempt to take shortcuts that had led to all of this. He had failed to build up his skills as he should and, in the end, it had resulted in him failing when it counted. He was gently shaken awake, coming to with a start.

"Oh man, I must have dozed off." Preston commented. "How long was I out?"

"About four hours." Mick told him. "We figured you deserved it after being up all night."

"You should have…"

"Preston, you need some rest as well." Hayley told him. "I know I wanted to train all day when I wanted to take on Victor, but if you don't get some rest, you're just going to burn out."

"So, it looks like you're making some progress." Mick commented. "Just to give you a break from the books, want to try out some of those spells?"

"I don't know, maybe I should…"

"Come on Preston, practice makes perfect!" Hayley told him, picking up an apple which appeared to float in the air and taking a bite. "I've read so many books on tennis, but at some point, you just have to try it!"

"Alright, well…Spell one, levitate. I'm already pretty good at that." Preston stated, picking up his wand. He looked around for something to use as a target. Eventually he picked a simple screw.

"Etativel!" He called out, pointing his wand at it. They all watched as it lifted off the bench, floating in the air. Mick and Hayley both applauded the effort.

"Alright, how about we try something a little harder, something a little heavier just to make sure you have it." Mick suggested. "How about…that anvil!"

"Alright, just…no one get under it." He replied. "Etativel!"

They watched as it started to shift, before lifting up off the ground. Hayley and Mick both went over to congratulate Preston as he guided it to a safe place and started to bring it down.

"That's amazing…I didn't know if I could…I was barely able to move that by hand!" He stated.

"OK, one down, how about you try the next one?" Mick asked him. "Changing an object's colour!"

"OK, I'll give it a try." Preston said, looking around. "Hold still Redbot."

"What?" Redbot asked.

"Egnahc Ruoloc!" Preston called out. They all watched as the beam shot from his wand, hitting Redbot. Before their eyes, he started to shift in colour, before becoming completely blue. The others all laughed as Redbot went to the mirror and checked himself out. "I'm sorry Redbot, maybe I can…"

"There's no rush." Redbot said as he inspected himself. "I've been Red so long…it might be nice to have a change for a little while."

"Alright, so I'm halfway through this chapter." Preston stated. "Give me a little while, and we'll see if I can turn things into food."

"Viera and I will find some stuff we can use." Hayley told him. "Um…guys, where's Viera?"

"Oh, Viera went out." Mick told them. "She said something about doing some reading in the library."

"Well, I guess since she has time it's as good a time as any to learn a bit more about our world." Hayley replied. "We can fetch her for lunch in a little bit."

"Alright, so back to the books." Preston said, starting to read. "Come on, two down, just eight more to go."

Meanwhile, back at the precinct, Trevor headed to the lab to get the results from the test on the bag found in Victor's bag. Although the circumstantial evidence against him was pretty strong, Trevor owed his dad a lot, and had promised to do everything he could to help.

He went to the lab tech, who was in the middle of some other work when he saw him.

"Marx, I was just about to e-mail you." He told him.

"That's good to hear." Trevor answered. "I take it that means you've found something."

"Please, who do you think you're talking to? Of course, I've found something!" He replied, looking around for the report, handing him a folder. "Here's what you asked for."

"OK, how about we pretend I don't have a degree in chemistry?" Trevor asked him. "Maybe then you can tell me what I'm looking at."

"Well, I'm sure you recognise this one at least, this compound right here that constitutes the majority of the contents of the vial." He told him. Trevor looked to it.

"Water?" He asked. "With trace amounts of…OK, I recognise water…you're saying the vial was full of water?"

"With a TINY amount of HGH, miniscule." The lab tech told him.

"So, the dealer's cutting more than a little too lean." Trevor asked.

"You could say that, but given how little is in it, I think a more likely explanation is it was re-filled after its original contents were used." He replied. "The seal's also been tampered with. I think someone used a used vial and re-filled it. Why do you think that anyone would do that?"

"Because they were too cheap to use real product to frame him." Trevor surmised. "It's a little thin but…"

"Well, there's also what's not there." He told him. "I checked the syringe, the bag, the vial, all of it. Victor's fingerprints aren't anywhere on it."

"They're not?" Trevor asked him.

"How many people do you know bother wearing gloves when they buy drugs?" He asked him. "In fact, the only fingerprints on it are Principal Hastings' from when she found it, and one other unidentified partial."

"Unidentified." Trevor said with a smile. "I can work with that. If someone else handled it, that just means that we need to find someone that has a grudge against Victor."

"That would be your department." The lab tech answered. "I just deal with what I can put under a microscope."

"Thanks for this." Trevor told him. The lab tech stopped him as he was about to leave.

"So, Marx, tell me…is it true what people are saying?" He asked. "Are you really trying to go after the Rangers?"

"What if I am?" He asked. The lab tech looked around, before looking back to him.

"Sterling's been asking around about you." He warned him. Trevor just sighed and shook his head.

"Thanks for the heads' up." He replied, before he left.

Back at the Ranger Base, Preston was still working hard on his spells, determined to get through at least two more before the end of the day. He had managed to turn some hockey pucks into burgers for lunch, which was a welcome break for them all, and the next spell was something of an odd one but after a few hiccups, he finally managed it.

"Oh, come on Hayley, it's not that big a deal." Preston said as he scratched Kody behind the ears.

"I just…I just think it's not fair." She muttered. "I mean, language is my thing!"

"To be fair, it still is." Preston answered. "I need to use a spell and even then, it only lasts about a minute."

Kody just barked in response.

"See what I mean? I have no idea what he just said." Preston assured her.

"Well…alright." She replied. "I suppose it's all in the name of getting you the experience you need."

"Exactly! It's like grinding in a videogame!" Preston assured her. "The odds are I'll never even use this spell again, not when we have the human translator here."

"Alright Preston, you've made amazing progress, we were always hoping for four spells in a day." Mick told him. "So, do you want a rest for a while?"

"I think I can go on." Preston told them. "I mean, I'm tired, and given everything that's happened already I wouldn't push for more if I didn't feel like I could go, but…I think I can manage one more today."

"Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?" Mick asked him. "We can start up again tomorrow…"

"It's fine Mick, I promise. Just one more today, I swear it." Preston assured him. He started reading the chapter. "Alright, it's a short one, that's good. It's also…OK, this one I have no idea why you'd want to do this one but…it's a good one alright."

"What is it?" Hayley asked him.

"Alright, just here." Preston said, satisfying himself with what he needed to do. "Worg Riah!"

He pointed his wand at Redbot, who was still getting used to being blue, and somewhat admiring himself in the mirror. It had never occurred to the team that Redbot had been red literally his whole existence. Changing clothes was something most people took for granted, and so many people changed how they looked pretty much every day. It was also a little unusual to think that it was something that would even bother a robot, but ever since Hayley's mishap with the dance, they had learned that there was a lot more to Redbot's programming than just a mindless devotion to function.

As the beam struck him, bright, green curly hair sprung from his head, forming all over. Hayley and Mick both stared at him for a moment.

"That…that's…yeah, I have no idea why anyone would want to do that."

"I guess with more concentration I could affect the colour and style, we already know I can chance colours with a spell." Preston replied. "I suppose if you were bald and upset about it that spell might be useful."

"Who knew a powerful wizard would care about hair loss?" Mick answered. "Alright Preston, you've done an amazing job, but right now…you are getting some rest, and no arguments!"

"Absolutely none here!" Preston answered with a loud yawn. "I am definitely bushed!"

"You know, I think we can wait a little longer." Hayley assured him. "Seeing how hard you're working, you've definitely earned it!"


	28. Work For Your Power

Early on the Wednesday, Abrakadanger was in Wrench's lab working on his wand. He didn't really need much in the way of tools or technology, the majority of wandcraft was about the incantations and the harnessing of magical energies into the materials. Wands had been made of virtually every conceivable material, and there was great debate among sorcerers what constituted a great wand.

Many argued that natural materials, such as wood, were more intrinsically tied to the natural elements of the natural ebb and flow of the winds of magic, making them more attuned to holding and harnessing those energies, while some were moving towards other materials, such as metals and ceramics, citing their greater resilience, allowing them to withstand more abuse. Still more, mainly modern wizards, were starting to blend technology into their talismans, forming what those in the field called "technomancy". The truth was it really was only a matter of personal taste and what worked for the individual and while some materials had a few advantages over others, for example plastics were lighter and required less maintenance, the only real universal rule was that broken wands were not a trivial matter!

The wand acted as a conduit, often holding a great deal of energy for later use, and helped focus and direct greater energies than a wizard would be able to channel themselves. A great many were incredibly powerful with wandless magic, but even they tended to reach for something to use in the midst of a fight for their lives. Breaking a wand not only released the magic already held within, but it made it more difficult and dangerous to use again. Many tales existed of wizards suffering all sorts of horrific mishaps using damaged or broken wands without any real appreciation for the potential dangers. Creating a wand in the first place was a very precise art and constituted some of the highest levels of magic, many master wizards essentially graduating into such by making their own. Repairing a wand was also a highly skilled and hazardous endeavour. The slightest mistake could leave a weakness or fault that could cause a catastrophic failure, meaning that most tended to simply replace broken wands. Abrakadanger's attempts to repair his wand were testament not only to his skill but also how much he personally valued his wand.

He had been in an almost trance-like state since his return, requiring neither food nor sleep as he worked, his hands stretched over the materials. The pieces of the wand were floating above the workbench, bathed in a dark, deep purple glow, and were slowly but carefully piecing themselves back together. Wrench could only watch from the corner, not just because Abrakadanger had no need of his assistance, but also because he still hadn't had his legs replaced and so lacked the actual means to do anything else.

Madame Odious came into the lab, but if Abrakadanger knew she was even there, he never gave off any indication. She had her own talisman, her hammer, with which she could perform some impressive magic, though her own skills were nowhere near Abrakadanger's, she still understood the gravity of what he was doing.

"So, how is it going?" She asked him.

"Slowly." Abrakadanger answered. "If I ever see that human again he'll find out what it means to spend the remainder of his days as a tapeworm!"

"Yes, it's amazing to think that such a powerful item was destroyed by something as mundane as a mere human firearm." She chuckled. "It's why I opted for metal with my hammer..."

"If you wouldn't mind getting to the point." Abrakadanger sighed. She just smirked.

"Well, I was just thinking, up until this happened, things were going well." She commented. "The Gold Ranger is still only about halfway home, and the other five Rangers are out of the picture! All going well, the Blue Ranger should be no difficulty for you."

"The Blue Ranger is a child playing with forces beyond the comprehension of his tiny, unevolved brain." Abrakadanger snorted dismissively.

"Well, that does mean that pretty soon you will have some interesting doors and opportunities opening up for you." She remarked. "And that is what I wanted to talk to you about. I understand you don't currently have representation."

"I've never seen the need." Abrakadanger answered.

"Well, that may have worked in the bush-league promotions you've been working in but here, the game is a little different."

"Well, I seem to be managing so far." He said in an off-hand way. "I already have my title match with Galvanax lined up and..."

"And what beyond that?" She asked him. "Not only do you have to ensure your interests beyond that match, there is the small matter of Galvanax himself."

"I think I can handle a brute..."

"Many wizards have thought the same thing." She told him. "I believe the last one ended up in more than a few different pieces. How many was it? 57? 75? I have trouble remembering."

"So this is where you try to intimidate me into walking away from my match?" He asked. "I thought more of you than that."

"Oh, quite the opposite. I know a real prospect when I see one." She told him. "And I also know when it's coming time to cash in my assets. Galvanax was the hot property once, but I have a feeling the people are looking for something new."

"You want to represent both fighters in the match?" He asked.

"I find it's easiest to win if you own every horse in the race." She told him. "But easier still if you also own the race track!"

"But...Cosmo owns..."

"Things change." Odious replied. "Now, perhaps it might be an idea to take a break?"

"I suppose I have some time." He replied as the wand descended onto the table and he set up protective shielding spells over it. "I trust the meal is your treat?"

"My office is just this way." She responded, guiding him from the room. From the corner, Wrench could hardly believe what he was hearing. It was just like Odious to either not notice or not care that he was there thanks to his current condition. She didn't see Wrench as a threat to her any longer, considering his reduced standing with Cosmo. He gestured over a Kudabot, which came to him.

"You, there's something I need from you." He stated. He then grabbed it, ripping its torso from its body and dumping it on the floor. He took a moment to manoeuvre himself over and attached himself to its legs. He took a moment to check it out, taking a few uneasy steps.

"Well, its crude but it'll do for now." He commented, dumping the rest of the kudabot in the trash chute. He went over to his shelf, and taking a long, deep breath, he picked up a sample jar, one carrying Sledge's mask, still slick with his blood and tissue.

"I never thought I'd find myself wishing for you back." Wrench commented. "But they do say better the devil you know."

With that, he opened a vault, which contained his re-animator.

"I'll need to run this on low power so no one notices it working." He stated, grabbing a few other jars from his desk. "It'll take a while, but if Odious makes her move, I'm going to need a few extra pairs of hands!"

Down on Earth, in the Summer Cove Central library, Viera was sitting with a whole bunch of books around her. She had told her friends she was going to the library to study while they were waiting on Preston being ready, but since she never specified WHICH library, she felt she wasn't really lying to them! Poring over dozens of different texts, from California legal codes, through sports and drug taking to school disciplinary codes, she was looking for everything and anything she could to get a handle on things.

She had studied law back home. It was part of her education for the day she would be the ruler of the Galaxy, and while her father never saw much value in it, preferring the option of whatever he said was the law, Viera wanted to be sure she was ready for the day she would preside over cases that involved her people. She needed to familiarise herself with the different customs and practices on Earth, but she was finding while there was a lot less violence in their system, with things like trial by combat and strict rules on how witnesses were treated in the stands to prevent intimidation, there was a lot similar in both their systems.

"You know, I'm having a little trouble with this. The root of the system is presumption of innocence which means it's really up to the school to prove that the drugs are Victor's and he intended to use them." She commented as Monty came back with a couple of hot chocolates.

"Unfortunately that's more theoretical in cases like this than anything else." Monty sighed. "The drugs were found on Victor, for a lot of people that's enough."

"But that still doesn't prove intent..."

"Try telling that to anyone who's pulled over with a little weed in their car." Monty replied. She just sighed and took a sip of her hot chocolate.

"OK, I think that's really going to be the mainstay of our defence, there's no evidence he either used the drugs or that he intended to use them." She answered. "Have you heard from the police regarding...?"

"Unfortunately they don't give details like that to sixteen year old kids who aren't strictly speaking part of the case." Monty said nervously. "I'd ask Victor but he's not answering my texts or calls!"

"Have you been to...?"

"I've been to his house a bunch of times; his mom just keeps telling me he doesn't want to see anyone!" Monty told her dejectedly. "He's not left his house, it's almost like he's giving up."

"But this is his future..."

"I know, but it looks like Hastings is going for a slam-dunk to get a result on this thing." Monty told her. "I...I really don't know what we can..."

"Oh hey, look who it is! It's the Dork in Chief and his little girlfriend!" He heard someone say as someone brushed past him, shoving his head down into his books. "I might have known you'd spend this free holiday Victor earned us all in the library!"

"Ace." Monty grumbled out a greeting, rubbing his neck.

"It's a little odd you mocking us for being in the library when you're in the library too." Viera responded, looking at his book. "You're reading an encyclopaedia?"

"I think it's more likely the Playboy magazines he's got hidden in the pages." Monty said, a little emboldened by Viera's presence. He always felt a little bolder when she was around, particularly since he had already seen her beat the hell out of Ace and his buddies once before. Ace just glared at him.

"You wouldn't know what to do with it!" He stated.

"What's Playboy?" Viera asked Monty. He just smirked.

"It's...got good articles!" Monty said, parroting the line a lot of people did when they were caught with adult magazines. Viera just shrugged and went back to her research.

"So, what are you looking at?" He asked them, shoving Monty aside. "Legal books? School codes? Are you seriously still trying to get Victor out of this?"

"I'm not the only one!" Monty snapped. "A lot of people..."

"A lot of people are idiots who don't see exactly what Victor is, he's the kind of guy who'll be a God in High School and then disappear into obscurity after graduation if he even gets there!" Ace told him. "He'll be that guy that has the pot belly and the bald head at the school reunion that everyone only talks to out of pity!"

"That's some way to talk about your cousin." Monty stated.

"Exactly, he's my cousin, so I know exactly what kind of person he is." Ace replied, growling slightly as he started to bare over Monty. "Now you need to be..."

"Oh, Ace? You...might want to remember what happened last time." Viera said with a smile. Ace glared at her, looking like he was about to make a move. He was completely tense, and looked like he was ready to explode at any moment, despite knowing from painful experience that Viera could and would lay a beating on him. It looked like logic finally won out and he picked up his encyclopaedia along with his real reading materials. "Anyway, we're busy so if you don't mind..."

"I'm out of here." He snorted as he walked away, getting into a seat a little way off and hanging up his jacket. Viera just shook her head as she stared at him.

"He never learns does he?" She asked.

"Looking at his GPA that's obvious." Monty replied. "Not to mention the fact he's got those magazines despite the fact he's sitting in the arts section. If he'd crack open one of those books he'd find WAY more nudie pictures than he will in those magazines."

"THAT'S what Playboy is?" Viera sniggered. She didn't have any idea what the magazine was, but there were certain cultural phenomena that were not exclusive to Earth. There were such publications back where she was from.

"You don't have Playboy in Indiana?" Monty asked her.

"We have similar magazines but most people buy them and take them home!" She laughed. "What is his problem?"

"Short attention span? Overactive pituitary gland? Violent temper, take your pick!" Monty answered with a shrug. "I think he's spent too much time building muscles and cars to spend much time building his brain."

"Violent temper?" She asked. Monty just shrugged.

"I heard that Cherry dumped him because he was a little too quick with his hands." Monty told her. "I never confirmed it or anything but I heard he had a run-in with Calvin about it. Shortly after that she chucked him...which is probably the reason for the magazines. Anyway, we should get back to this."

"I guess." She replied, taking a sip of her chocolate and moving in closer to Monty. "So, what's the precedent for these cases?"

"Put it this way." Monty answered. "Without another explanation, I would not bet against the school on this one."

Over at the Ranger Base, Mick was staring blankly at Redbot as he looked him up and down.

"I'm sorry, but no...I really don't think so." Mick told him. "You're not the droid I'm looking for! Now, move along!"

As Mick went to go and do some of his class work, Preston just started laughing. He only stopped when Hayley threw a rag at him.

"Really Preston?" She asked him. "That's how you test the Mind Trick spell?"

"What? I couldn't resist!" He chuckled as he looked to the book once more. "Alright, this one I wish I was able to do earlier. OK, I'm going to need someone to test this. Mick, can you come back in here?"

"Sure Preston, what can I do for...hey, Redbot there you are!" He said. "I was just looking for you!"

"Apparently not." Redbot replied sarcastically. "I can't wait until Preston learns the undo spell. This new look apparently makes me unrecognisable."

"I...don't understand..."

"Mick, can you pick up the wrench please?" Preston asked him, clearing his throat to distract Mick from the fact he had just used him as a guinea pig for his spell. "Alright, I'm going to have to concentrate on this. Elbartenepmi Rierrab!"

Preston held out his wand, and a pale blue light erupted from it, before forming up into what looked like a large, silver mirror. Preston smiled as he stepped back and admired his handiwork.

"Preston, that's great!" Haley complimented him.

"I guess now we have to find out how good a job I did." Preston said, taking a deep breath. "Mick throw the spanner at me."

"Um...what?" Mick asked.

"My last barrier didn't hold up, I need to know how strong it is!" Preston told him. "Throw the spanner!"

"Um...alright." Mick said reluctantly. He threw the spanner, which rebounded off the barrier, flying back and almost hitting Mick. He smiled and started clapping.

"Come on guys, that's small fry, give it a workout!" He stated. Mick picked up a Ninja Sword and ran at the barrier, striking it multiple times, creating a lot of sparks but not so much as scratching the barrier.

"Come on Hayley, give it a shot!" Preston said. "We need to be sure...WHOA!"

They all ducked as Redbot fired his arm cannon, which smashed into the barrier, causing everyone to throw themselves onto the floor. They all stared at him wordlessly.

"I AM the droid you're looking for!" He replied, shaking off his still-smoking barrier. Hayley just gulped.

"Um...how about you start on that last spell now?" She asked Preston.

"That's a good idea." Preston stated. "Undo spell. Right, this chapter's a long one, so...I'll tell you when I'm ready to try!"

Back at the library, Monty and Viera were still searching through case after case of kids being found with drugs on school premises all across the country. The sad fact was that with the exception of those with legitimate prescriptions, the majority of instances didn't end well. While the cornerstone of those cases, like in all cases was the presumption of innocence, the statistics didn't reflect that considering the fact that unless they named someone else the majority of instances ended in suspension or expulsion depending on the volumes found. In the case of drugs charges, unfortunately possession was nine tenths of the law, and there was no disputing the fact Victor had them in his bag.

"This is looking hopeless!" Monty complained. "I don't for one second believe Victor took those drugs, but unless we find out who did we've got nothing!"

"It's...it's all circumstantial." Viera protested.

"Yeah, because no one has been sent down with circumstantial evidence before." Monty muttered. "I hate to say it, but it's looking like we're licked."

"Monty, you can't talk like that." Viera told him. "That's not the kind of person you are!"

"But I failed Victor I failed..."

"You are NOT a quitter; you're the guy that put Ace in his place without throwing a single punch!" Viera reminded him. "You're the Class President! People voted for you because of that!"

"I just...I don't know..."

"I do." Viera told him. "I know what I saw that day, and let me tell you when I went home, it might not have ended the way I wanted it to, but the one thing that kept me going the one thing that I thought about when I was there was the kid who took down the biggest bully with just words. You...you inspired me to keep going when people all around me, even people I'd known for years wanted me to fail."

"I did?" He asked her. She started moving a little closer.

"Yes, you did." She replied. Moving closer, both of them were starting to draw together, their lips only inches apart when they were interrupted.

"Excuse me, but...the library said you had the book I was looking for." A girl said. Monty looked to her. "Sports science volume three?"

"Right, it's under here somewhere Cherry." He told her, looking for the book. Viera recognised the name and looked to her.

"Cherry?" She asked. "You used to go out with Ace right?"

"Yeah, I did." She answered. "We all do dumb things we regret. I'll tell you one thing; I don't miss that stupid outfit he made me wear. The jacket just wasn't me. Leather in California heat?"

"So why did you wear it?" Viera asked.

"Ace liked it." She told her. "He bought a lot of my clothes...most of them actually. In fact...all of them. It was an experience picking an outfit for myself actually, I wasn't sure I remembered how."

"But why wear things you don't like?" Viera asked her.

"He was...he had ways of persuading me to do things I didn't like." Cherry answered, gripping her wrist in a reflex reaction that looked to have been learned. "I'm...I'm better off without him...even if I am a little short on friends now. He wasn't too keen on me having those either."

"So it's true? He hit you?" Monty asked her. He could see Cherry was uneasy as she was about to answer, having only just noticed Ace sitting a little way off with his "encyclopaedia".

"He...he never used to. At the beginning he could be quite sweet." She told them. "I used to think maybe he'd change, that maybe if I could get him to stop doing things to impress his friends or get him to see he was hurting me."

"Cherry, if that was going on why didn't you say anything?" Monty asked her.

"The same reason I didn't bother reporting it then, who would believe me?" She asked them. "He's a good looking guy with a rock-hard physique from an Abercrombie and Fitch catalogue, why would he need to force anyone to do anything?"

"Well, at least you're out of it now." Monty answered.

"It's still rough, but...it's getting better." She told him. "For a while I wondered if maybe I did something to trigger him or if there was something else I could have done like get him off that shit he uses..."

"Wait, what did you say?" Viera asked. "You're saying that Ace is a user?"

"No, you get that kind of build naturally when you only go to the gym an hour every couple of days!" She said sarcastically. "It really messed with his head; he would lose it over pretty much nothing!"

"Here you go Cherry." Monty said, handing her the book. "I really hope things get better."

"Thanks." She replied. "Now, I'll just...go somewhere else. Even this is a little close for my liking."

As she left, Monty smiled.

"OK, now where were we?" He asked as he puckered up. Viera just stopped him.

"Monty, you said we need to find someone else to take the blame right?" She asked him. "Maybe the first place to start is finding out where people get the HGH!"

"Yeah, that's great and all." Monty replied, puckering up again. He tumbled and fell off his chair as Viera got her stuff together and got off her chair to leave. "Come on Monty!"

Monty just sighed contentedly as he peeled himself off the floor and gathered his things.

"I'm coming!" He said, running after her.


	29. Viera's Investigation

The following morning, Trevor was in the gym, working ahead of his shift. He had already faced off against a Ranger once, and it hadn't gone as he had hoped, but he did know one thing. His new arsenal could actually hurt them, and if he could hurt them, he could bring them in.

He was working on a bench-press with one of his followers spotted him. As he racked the weights, he could see another couple of officers standing a little way from him.

"Marx?" One of them asked. "Is it…is it true?"

"Is what true?" He asked in response.

"Is it true what the guys are saying, that you…you actually shot a Ranger?" He asked. Trevor was pretty sure this was coming. He already knew his point of view wasn't exactly a popular one. He had already been laughed out of the Calibre Club when he told his colleagues what he wanted to do, how he wanted to bring the Rangers to justice, to make them stand to account for all the damage and harm they caused in the city. He sat up on the bench, beginning to mop himself down with a towel.

"That's not what my report says." Trevor stated. "But if you heard differently…"

"I…I heard that you actually managed to hurt one of them." The officer stated. Trevor could see the others shifting a little behind their ring-leader. His own followers were starting to gather as well.

"What of it?" He asked.

"Well…maybe we're re-thinking our position." He said uncomfortably. "When we heard what you were doing, it sounded pretty insane, like taking on a tank with a peashooter, but…if we can actually hurt the Rangers…maybe it's not as impossible as we first thought."

"You're saying you only weren't on board because you were scared?" Trevor asked.

"It's not being scared to not want to take on an impossible task, it's sensible." One of them protested. "But…we were all talking and we've all noticed this city's become crazy since they showed up."

"Yeah, this town…things were great here!" One of them agreed. "I remember considering it a hectic week if someone tried to boost a car!"

"So, we were thinking that maybe…if you're looking for guys…"

"So now you want to join us?" Trevor asked. He was a little taken aback, on one hand he was always sceptical about the commitment of those that joined after the event. Especially when their main reason for not doing so was basically because they saw the cause as impossible. Any cause was impossible when it first began. However, something he was keenly aware of was the fact that he wasn't really in a position to turn away supporters. He did have other followers who were also getting together their firepower to act whenever they encountered the Rangers, but so far, they only numbered about a dozen at most. In a city the size of Summer Cove, there was no guarantee they would even be close enough to respond to any Ranger sightings. It was sheer luck he had only been a couple of blocks from the school when the call came in.

"Alright, if you're serious, then the first thing you need to do is get some firepower." Trevor told him. "I'm not talking about standard issue, that stuff doesn't cut it. I only managed to hurt one with a shotgun…"

"There's no worries about firepower." One of them said. "We're SWAT."

"Really?" Trevor asked with a little smirk. He knew that now Iris had heard of his campaign he wasn't likely to get much support from her. She would be unlikely to sell more of an arsenal to act against the Rangers, but having access to the SWAT stockpiles might not be the worst thing in the world. "Well, maybe we should talk some more."

Back at the school, Viera was busy picking out something to wear. She just sighed as she held up another top.

"Still too bright." She muttered. "I know Sarah didn't always wear nothing but pink, but why is everything she wore so bright? I thought ninjas were meant to be good at being inconspicuous."

"Well, right now she's a stuffed pink unicorn so I can't really ask her." Mick answered as he came past, causing her to jump a couple of feet in the air with a little yelp. "What?"

"You almost gave me a heart attack!" She yelled at him. "How long have you been here?"

"I don't know how long you've not noticed me, but I've been here since before you tried on the first outfit." Mick answered. "People just seem to kind of miss the fact I'm around. Like I blend into the background. I'd almost be offended if it didn't mean that at times I can just get on with my work without being interrupted."

Viera went back to what she was doing, when her cell phone buzzed. She reached for it, but Mick was a little too quick and picked it up first. He took a moment to notice that it wasn't his.

"Oh…we have the same phone, that's quite a coincidence! You and Jennifer must have similar tastes in electronic devices." Mick stated, before seeing the text. "Why is Monty texting you?"

"He and I are working on something together." She replied.

"Really?" He asked with a little smirk on his face. "What is it? I know you and he share a lot of classes, but so do the Rangers. I wasn't aware there were any joint projects assigned."

"Well, it's…kind of…not a school thing." She told him. "But it kind of is and…I'm really not explaining this well, am I?"

"I think I get the message." Mick answered. "But why would you be trying not to be noticed in that case?"

"I…don't quite follow." Viera replied.

"I mean, I always thought the intention was to BE noticed in these instances." Mick stated. "I know I dress like I only have one outfit here, but when I go to Jennifer's for dinner or to the movies I kind of leave the greasy overalls in the workshop where they belong."

"Mick…"

"You know, slap on a little cologne, a nice shirt, some jeans…"

"Mick…"

"I've even been known to comb my hair." He replied. "Not really sure why though since I can still shape-shift…"

"I wish I could shape-shift." Viera muttered. "Stupid collar, it would make this so much easier if I was still able to shape-shift."

"You know, I don't know if you noticed this but I'd say Monty kind of likes your shape the way it is." Mick told her. "You know, if all the times I spend him staring at you in class are anything to go by." Viera turned a little pink hearing him say this.

"Well…it's…it's not exactly like that." Viera told him.

"So, what exactly is it like?" Mick asked her. She just sighed and figured she could probably trust him.

"Monty and I think we might have found something off about Victor's case." She told him. "We think we might have a lead but…we need to be a little inconspicuous when we follow it up."

"Oh, right. Well, its just as well your friends are ninjas then isn't it?" He asked. "Of course, Levi's somewhere just past Arizona. Brody, Calvin and Sarah are all soft toys and Hayley and Preston are a little pre-occupied right now so that leaves…oh…sorry."

"That's why I was hoping to find something a little darker so that we could stay unnoticed as we tailed A…um…our lead."

"So, you're following someone?" He asked.

"Yeah." She replied.

"And you don't want to be noticed?" He asked her again.

"That's about the size of it." She responded.

"Well, you know there's more than one way to not be noticed." He answered. "Like…did you notice how you just didn't notice me right here?"

"Notice how I didn't notice you?" She asked. "Mick, that…what…what's that even meant to mean?"

"Well, you're used to seeing me in here, and I'm in here all the time and so after a while I just blend into the background unless you're specifically looking for me." He stated as he gestured to himself. "That's why even when I'm not posing as part of the furniture, people have a habit of forgetting I'm here."

"Huh…it's not exactly ninja…"

"Actually, according to Brody disguise was a tool well within the ninja's wheelhouse." Mick interrupted her. "They would wear whatever got them closest to their target. Servants, guards, merchants, even Kabuki Theatre actors. Whatever was best for the environment."

"Huh, that's an idea I hadn't thought of!" She said with a little thought. "A…um…the guy we're following is probably going to be buying soon, so he'll probably head to a gym or a sports centre. I guess I could do worse than some workout gear…"

"There you go!" Mick stated. "And the good news is that Sarah has a whole bunch of workout gear! She's bound to have something that's both practical and dare I say…Monty will like?"

"I think this and…this will be good!" She replied. "Thanks Mick!"

With that, she picked up her phone and called Monty.

"Yeah, I'm on my way, do you still have him in sight?" She asked. "Great! I'll meet you on the way!"

Mick smiled as she ran off to meet up with Monty, before his brows furrowed as a thought came to him.

"Wait a minute…did…did I just encourage Viera to go to a drug deal?" He asked aloud. Before he could process that though, his spare overalls ran into the room by themselves, indicating that Hayley was there.

"Mick, Mick! Preston's finally rested up. He was reading the chapter on the undo spell all night!" She told him. "Come on, hurry up, he's about to give it a try!"

"Alright, I'll be right there." He told her. He followed Hayley outside where they had opted to go to be on the safe side.

"Alright, so why are we out here?" Mick asked.

"I just wanted a little room to be on the safe side." He informed them. "Ironically the undo magic spell is the most complex and precise of the spells. It's apparently nature's way of trying to ensure that people don't use magic…"

"Spuriously?" Hayley asked.

"Carelessly?" Mick asked.

"Willy nilly." Redbot added. Preston just forced a little smile and pretend-laughed at the teasing.

"OK, OK, I got a little carried away, I know that." He replied. "Basically, magic should for the most part be considered a one-way process. There are so many spells that can't be reversed, like killing spells, curses, some charms, that it's best to only think of spells and use spells once you're certain that you won't want to reverse it."

"Alright, so we know it's difficult." Hayley stated. "How difficult?"

"Put it this way." He replied, pulling out a fire-extinguisher. "I'm taking no chances."

"Alright, so maybe start with the most resilient first." Redbot suggested. "I'm kind of sick of the green hair and the blue colour scheme."

"Are you sure Redbot?" Preston asked. He just nodded in response, standing in some clear space.

"OK, let's give this a shot." Preston said as he took a deep breath. He gripped his wand, taking care to make sure he used the grip exactly as the chapter told him. He waved it, tracing a streak of light through the air, making the intricate motion he had practiced a few dozen times, before uttering the incantation clearly and loudly. "Cigam Odnu!"

A beam of light flew from the wand, hitting Redbot. They all watched as after glowing brightly for a few moments, causing Hayley to reach for the fire extinguisher for good measure, he started to transform. Before long, his hair disappeared, and he was back to his familiar red!

"That was incredible!" Redbot gushed, inspecting himself carefully. "I was beginning to wonder if we'd have to start calling me Bluebot!"

"You did it Preston!" Hayley shrieked, hugging him tightly.

"Alright, now we know it works, we can try it on the others." Mick stated, lining up the toys. Mick took another deep breath.

"Cigam Odnu!" He called out. Before long, Sarah, Calvin and Brody were all lying in a heap in the middle of the yard, looking extremely confused.

"What just happened?" Brody asked.

"I don't know." Calvin said as they started to disentangle from each other. "The last thing I remember was fighting that Abrakadanger guy and then…"

"It's a…really long story." Preston stated. "But I promise that I'll tell you all about it once I change back Hayley."

"Oh, yes PLEASE!" Hayley called out, taking her place. "Alright Preston, hit it!"

"Cigam Odnu!" He called out again. In a flash of bright light, Hayley appeared from nowhere. The others just stared at her.

"What? What is it?" She asked. "Did it work? Preston, what did you do?"

"Umm…it's not what Preston did to you." Calvin said, suppressing a chuckle as the others tried to hide the fact they were struggling not to laugh. Hayley looked into a mirror, before turning grumpily towards them.

"Well, YOU try combing your hair when you're invisible!" She screamed at them. "If anyone needs me I'll be in the showers!"

Meanwhile, Monty had been tailing Ace as closely as he could on his bike. He was somewhat fortunate that between the traffic in Summer Cove and Ace's insistence on not being in much of a hurry anywhere so that he could ensure the maximum number of people possible could admire him in his beautiful custom-made car, it wasn't too hard to keep up with him. Eventually he found himself in the bushes lining the parking lot of a local gym as Ace took a bag from his trunk and headed inside. Viera joined him, moving in close, somewhat distracting him from his current surveillance.

"So, he's gone in?" She asked him.

"He stood and talked to the guy at the desk for a bit…about half an hour in fact, but he's just headed into the changing room." He told her, before looking to her with a goofy grin. "So…what…what do we do?"

"How long ago did he go in?" She asked him.

"About forty minutes." Monty said dreamily, before shaking his head to clear the pink, dreamy mist from his vision as he reminded himself why they were there. He was there to help Victor, not moon over Viera…no matter how much that was all he wanted to do.

"Then he should be changed by now." She stated. "He doesn't seem to have gone to any of the fields, so he must be on the floor. We're going to need to get a closer look."

"I would love to get a closer look." Monty said, his voice quivering nervously. "Um…how exactly?"

"What else?" She asked, snatching up her bag. "We go work out."

"Wor…work…out?" Monty asked as he saw her heading in. "Um…I…uh…I should maybe just watch the car…"

"Come on Monty!" She beckoned him. That was pretty much all the encouragement he needed. A strength filled him that made him feel like soon he would be bench-pressing Ace's car!

It…didn't…last!

Monty wasn't exactly unhealthy so to speak, but it didn't take anyone more than a side-glance to know that he was about as familiar with a gym as he was with the Emperor of the Troobian Empire! He followed Viera as she went through her routine, effortlessly working through numerous exercises she had practiced her whole life, preparing for the day she would have to protect her whole queendom, while Monty…stumbled about in a sweaty mess. His attempts at chin-ups could be described more accurately as dangling from a bar while his arms shook uncontrollably just trying to hold his not-even ninety pound body above the ground, his heart felt like it was exploding and his ribs felt like they were about to shatter as Viera worked with a medicine ball with him, and right now, on the treadmill, while she had perfect form as she did with virtually anything he saw her do, Monty's flailing and stumbling as he struggled to keep up with the conveyer belt looked a lot like he was having a fit.

"Have you noticed anything?" Viera asked?

"Yes…but…have…you?" Monty panted as he struggled to get his breath. He could swear that he could feel his churned-up breakfast starting to creep back up out his body and he struggled to keep it down.

"I mean, we've been here over an hour and Ace hasn't moved from that bench." Viera told him. It was true, Ace had come in with his tracksuit trousers and his tight tank top and had plopped himself down in the free weights area on one of the bench press benches. He had done some lifts and exercises, and had admired his admittedly incredibly impressive muscles in the mirror, but that was about all. Much of the time he was just sitting on the bench between sets and posing sessions. "I'd have expected to see a lot more movement from him."

"Has…he…heard…of…Cardio?" Monty puffed and panted, desperately flailing about as he tried to keep upright on the treadmill.

"He has talked to a few others." She commented as she shut off her treadmill, taking a towel and beginning to mop herself down. Monty was thankful for that. As she headed to her bag in the corner, he turned off his treadmill and staggered towards her, his legs feeling like they had turned to rubber underneath him. His ears were buzzing and his head felt like it was buzzing as he stumbled over to where she was taking a sip of some water.

"Monty, do you recognise those kids?" Viera asked as she saw some kids who had been working out, all the while casting glances over at Ace. He just nodded.

"I think…those two are on the lacrosse team." He gasped, taking some water and gulping it down furiously. "That girl, she's the champion!"

"Wait, I think something's happening." Viera said, going into her bag for her phone and positioning Monty in front of her. "Pose."

"Wait, what?" He asked.

"Make it look like we're taking one of those gym shots people keep posting online." She told him. "There are these two guys who post pictures of themselves shirtless in the gym all the time!"

"Um…alright?" Monty said a little hesitantly before taking off his shirt, exposing his dental-floss frame. He looked to her as Viera's mouth hung open and smiled, starting to pose. He smiled brightly and started flexing for him.

"Monty…Monty, hold on!" She told him. "Do you notice anything odd?"

"A girl who sees me shirtless and doesn't laugh?" He offered weakly. She just grabbed him and turned him around.

"Keep posing!" She told him. Monty looked ahead to where he saw that Ace was still talking to the others, but now something else was happening. It looked like this was what they were here to see, but he still didn't expect what happened.

"Why are they giving HIM money?" He asked, before Ace went into his bag and pulled something out.

"Monty…Ace isn't just using." Viera told him. "He's the dealer!"


	30. Hear Me Out

On the Warrior Dome, Abrakadanger was still working on his wand. He was taking no chances on going into battle with a wand that was damaged, and knowing that it was going to be at least another full day until he was to go and battle the Rangers, he was taking the full benefit of that to make sure his powers were at their fullest. The Blue Ranger had lucked out once before, and he wanted to make sure by the time the show proper started, he would not do so again.

He was dimly aware of the door behind him opening, and someone coming in.

"Well, I wasn't expecting you again so soon." He stated. "So what are you offering me this time?"

"I'm offering you a chance to leave here with your life." He heard a gravelly voice say. He smiled, this wasn't what he was expecting, he thought it was Odious out to discuss the nature of what contract she would offer him. He turned around and looked to the Galaxy Warriors Champion.

"You know, some people might see this as sign that you're worried by my presence here." Abrakadanger stated arrogantly. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I know Odious came in here. What was she discussing with you?" Galvanax snapped at him. Abrakadanger just sighed and leant on the table.

"I believe that is our business." He replied. "But suffice to say, it was financial in nature. You know what they say, if you're good at something, never do it for free."

"You think you worry me? I've seen countless little tricksters like you trot through here!" Galvanax yelled at him, grabbing his robes. "Now tell me what you were talking about!"

"Now I KNOW you're worried!" Abrakadanger taunted him. "You know as well as I do that the only thing that anyone can predict about championships is that at some point they end. You aren't the first champion Odious has represented and I sincerely doubt you will be the last! But if you're asking if she's looking to replace you with me...well...I don't see why I should say anything..."

"Tell me or..." Galvanax said, before reaching for the wand. "I'll snap your little twig here into toothpicks!"

Abrakadanger hit him with a blast that sent him flying through the doors, out into the hall outside. He leapt out after Galvanax, his hands glowing as he powered up to prepare for a fight. He might not have the physical strength of Galvanax, but that meant little to one that could bend reality to his will. Galvanax came back from the wall, swinging for Abrakadanger, missing him with a couple of swings but connecting with the last. It was enough for Abrakadanger to know that he could ill afford to take another shot. He felt like his skull was about to split apart as he tumbled down the hall, blood trickling down his face and neck. Dark purple flames surrounded his fists as he rushed towards him, but they both ended up being thrown to opposite ends of the corridor as a top hat flew into the area, slamming into both of them, before returning to Cosmo's hand. The corridor flooded with Kudabots as he confronted them both.

"That's ENOUGH!" He yelled at them both. "This ends NOW!"

"If you think I'm above going through you Cosmo, you don't know..."

"I said ENOUGH!" He called out again, this time causing the Kudabots to all take aim. It was pretty much impossible they would take either of the monsters down, but it would sure as hell make a lot of mess and slow them down if they opened fire. "If you two want to tear each other apart, that's fine by me, but we do it on MY time, MY schedule, in front of the cameras!"

"This gold-plated moron..."

"I really don't care who did what or who started whatever! If you so much as flare up one more spell when there's not a camera pointed at you, then you can kiss any appearances on my show goodbye!" Cosmo warned him. Abrakadanger backed down, his flames subsiding. He wasn't like Galvanax, he didn't care about the competition, all he cared about was the financial reward. He only even agreed to do Galaxy Warriors instead of the usual independent shows he was a star on because they finally offered him a contract that interested him. He was a hot property pretty much everywhere and commanded the price tag to match.

"You really think you scare me?" Galvanax asked Cosmo, bearing down on him. "There is nothing you can threaten me with..."

"You may have that title Galvanax, but I've had champions before and I'll have champions after you!" Cosmo warned him. "Now, you go to your chambers, you go back and fix that wand!"

As they both slowly made their way in different directions, Cosmo looked after Galvanax and snarled.

"You are not indispensable Galvanax." Cosmo muttered to himself. "The day may be coming where you're more hassle than you're worth!"

Over at the Vincent household, Victor was sitting on the couch, watching the television. He wasn't really watching it, he couldn't even tell anyone what was being said, much less what it was about. Right now, he wasn't thinking much about anything, other than the meeting he was going to. His mom came into the room, shutting off the television.

"That's quite enough of that." She stated. "I could really live without any more fart jokes. Victor, are you ready?"

He muttered something unintelligible under his breath. His mom just glared at him.

"I didn't quite catch that." She stated.

"I said what's the point mom?" He asked her. "They've already made up their minds, they're only going through the motions!"

"Victor, you don't understand how serious this is..."

"That's ALL I understand!" Victor snapped at her. "I've...I've...I've done some bad things, made some dumb choices, I know I have, but I've worked so hard for everything I've done at the school, and now, now it's all getting taken away for something I didn't even do!"

"Victor, you don't know what they're going to say." His mom reiterated. "There's every chance that something..."

"What mom? What's going to have changed?" Victor snapped at her. "Hastings hates me, you know she hates me!"

"I really don't think…"

"She'd just love a chance to take my record and flush it down the toilet!" Victor stated. "She's probably got that expulsion form already printed out. No need for me to be there to watch her sign it…"

"VICTOR CHARLES VINCENT!" His mother roared, losing her patience with her son. "You are a VINCENT! We do not give up! EVER!"

"But mom…"

"We are going to that meeting!" She told him. "You're going to look them straight in the face and you're going to tell them your side of the story…"

"They don't care about my side of the story!"

"Then you MAKE them!" She yelled at him. "And if the worst comes to the worst, there are other schools."

"Mom…"

"It'll mean you'll have to work a little harder, and you'll no doubt have to get a job or something to help with college…"

"College?" Victor asked her. "What college is going to want me after this?"

"You think colleges suddenly shut their doors because of things like this? CONVICTED FELONS go to college! It might mean you have to do without a scholarship, you might just have to go to a less prestigious school for a while and transfer, but this is NOT the end!"

"Mom, everything I worked for is going down in flames and there's nothing I can do to stop it!" Victor complained. She stood and stared straight into his eyes.

"I'm perfectly certain your father felt the same way at the end." She told him. "But that didn't mean he didn't keep going and save every single member of that squad until he did fall. I still get Christmas cards from every single one of them every year, and while that doesn't bring him back, every year when I get those cards it reminds me all over again of the kind of man he was. It was the thing I loved about him, and it's the thing I see in you."

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"It's open!" Mrs Vincent called out. Trevor came in, carrying a folder and a little bag.

"Trevor."

"I had to come. I've got what I could from the precinct." He told her, before looking at Victor. "Are you ready?"

Victor just got up, sighing as he did.

"Alright, let's get this over with." He announced.

Over at the school, the Rangers were still in the Ranger Base. Given how long it had taken for Preston to undo the spell, they had all ended up opting to just stay at the base for another night. Their respective parents all believed they were at Levi's place working on a project, and so it would be a while before they were missed. However, relatively early in the morning, they were disturbed by a commotion outside. At first it was just a few voices, a little more than they'd be expecting on a day the school was closed, but it only started to build. Now, they were kind of trapped inside the building because a massive crowd was outside! Word had got out that this was the day of Victor's hearing, and so students had gathered to make their feelings heard. Which provided the school with another headache. If it was a simple case that they supported Victor, or that they were calling for him to be expelled, that would be simple enough. Unfortunately, with large numbers on both sides, it created a very real powder keg. All the teachers had been called in to act as crowd control and to stop students trying to get into the building.

"Man, I really wish I brought my PlayStation." Calvin commented, looking at the crowd. "I can't believe how wild it is out there!"

"I do NOT envy Levi." Hayley agreed. "It's just our luck to get caught up in all this and get stuck in here."

"It sounds like things are getting pretty restless out there." Sarah commented. "Wait…are those guys…are they hanging an effigy of Victor?"

"That's more than a little harsh!" Brody gulped.

"It's only getting worse." Preston stated. "Victor just arrived and things are looking pretty damn ugly out there."

"Maybe…maybe we should get out there, try and help keep things civil." Brody suggested, seeing some shoving going on, shoving that looked like it wasn't going to be long before it evolved into punching.

"How?" Preston asked.

"I guess just try and keep things civil as much as possible." Brody replied. "We'll…call it infiltration training. We go into the crowd and try to subtly guide people away from doing anything too crazy."

"I guess it'll be more helpful than spending the day in here." Calvin agreed. "Alright Viera, we're just going out for a little bit…um…has anyone seen Viera?"

They all looked around, noticing she was gone.

"Am I the only one thinking she would make a great ninja?" Sarah asked.

Outside, in the crowd, Monty was standing on a soap box with a bullhorn, leading pro-Victor chants. He was calling on the crowd to demand a fair hearing and benefit of the doubt. Viera slipped through the crowd, finding him as he hopped off the soap box and handed off the bullhorn to another of his followers.

"Monty, what's going on here? Why did you text me?" She asked him.

"I have a plan." He told her. "I was hoping there would be a few less people here, but I think I figured out how to get the evidence to Hastings." He told her.

"Aren't the pictures enough?" Viera asked him.

"It's a start, but pictures are really easy to alter." Monty told her. "He could just say he was selling candy or health bars or something and we wouldn't be able to prove any different. We need him to get caught in the act."

"Alright." She replied. "So how do we do that exactly?"

"Right on time." Monty said as he saw Ace's car rolling into the parking lot. He got out, grabbing his bag and headed for the crowd. He looked more than a little confused as he headed for some of the athletes in the crowd.

"Monty, what's going on?" She asked him.

"Uh…let's just say some hacking may have been involved." He told her, beginning to head over. "Just…get ready."

"Get ready for what?" She asked him. Monty didn't answer, leaving her none the wiser.

Ace approached some of the football team, but looked more than a little bad-tempered as he did. He grabbed one of them, spinning him around.

"What the hell are you doing?" He asked him. "You managed to use all of it already?"

"Huh?" He asked, staring at Ace.

"Oh, and you had to meet here?" Ace asked him. "You couldn't have thought of somewhere a LITTLE less crowded?"

"Ace, I don't know what you're talking about!" He told him.

"You just texted me!" Ace stated, putting down his bag and pulling out his cell phone.

"Dude, I never texted you!" The player answered. "I still have a week's supply!"

"But it's your number!" Ace protested.

"I'm telling you I didn't…" He started to protest, before Monty snatched up the bag and running off with it.

"What the…you little shit come back!" Ace roared as he and the other athletes started to give chase. Monty ran over to Viera, throwing the bag to her.

"Monty, what the…?"

"You run faster than I do!" He called out to her. "Get this to the Principal's off…aaagh!"

Viera watched as Monty was tackled to the ground by a couple of kids, while Ace and the others were barrelling straight towards her.

"Monty, this is the exact OPPOSITE of a plan!" She screamed as she turned and ran as fast as she could, with Ace and his friends firmly on her tail. She barged past Levi who was standing at the door.

"Hey, what the…WHOA!" He called out as he was checked into some bushes by Ace and his friends. He scrambled out, before giving chase after them. "Hey! No one's to go in there! COME BACK!"

In Principal Hastings' office, the hearing was going ahead as scheduled. Mrs Finch and Mick were in the office as a witnesses to ensure everything went fairly, while Principal Hastings listened to Trevor's statement.

"And so, the lab found that the contents of the vial were water, with only trace elements of HGH." Trevor told her. "Also, Victor's fingerprints weren't on the bag, the vial or the syringe."

"Well, I have to say it's been a while since I've had an actual police testimony in a disciplinary hearing." She commented. "It's certainly the first time I've read a CSI report."

She looked to Mick and Mrs Finch before responding.

"I think you know how serious this is Victor. The idea of drugs in school is a very serious matter." She told him. "I just want to hear it from you. I'll only ask you once. Did you, or have you ever, taken performance enhancing drugs?"

"No." Victor told her. "I don't have any idea where that's from."

"Well, the case against you doesn't look good." Principal Hastings started. "However, I am also aware of the fact that the case against you is also largely circumstantial."

"Wait, what?" Victor asked, looking confused. Principal Hastings looked to Mick, and smiled. She had seen the harm drugs could do in other schools. She had seen kids OD, and she had seen the inevitable violence that went along with rival dealers trying to expand their market in the same schools. "A good friend reminded me that no matter how much cases like this bring up passionate feelings, I need to work with the evidence I've been given. Since all we've found is basically a syringe and a vial of water which…means there really isn't a case to answer."

"Excuse me?" Victor asked.

"Well, since your prints aren't on the vial or the bag, I can't prove they're even yours, but as far as the education department is concerned, while injecting yourself full of water may not be a good idea, it's something you have every right to do." She replied. "I…can't dispute the fact that it's possible someone else put that in your bag, and so, as far as I'm concerned, the only thing left for me to do is ask you if you have any idea where it came from."

"But I can stay in school?" He asked with a smile.

"Victor, you owe Officer Marx a lot. It's not everyone that can get a CSI report on evidence in a disciplinary hearing." She told him. "But it does mean that someone is running around school with some real drugs and paraphernalia and I would really like to find out who that is…"

Just then, there was some loud crashing and raised voices from the corridor. They all looked at the corridor.

"What was that?" Mrs Finch asked, heading towards the door. But everyone had to dive for cover as Viera, Monty, Ace and Levi all came flying through the door, sending broken glass and wood in all directions. Levi scrambled to his feet, pulling Monty and Ace up and shoving them in opposite directions.

"What in the hell is going on here?" Principal Hastings demanded.

"I'm so sorry Principal Hastings…they got past me…I tried to get them before they got to the office!" He told her.

"What in the world is this about?" She asked. "Someone better start explaining this to me before I start throwing out detention slips!"

"Victor's innocent!" Monty stated, taking the bag from Viera.

"Monty…"

"We have the proof right here!"

As Ace protested, Monty grabbed the bag, opening it up and dumping the contents onto the floor. Everyone just stared at it in surprise.

"Well…I WAS going to say that Victor had been cleared to return to school." Principal Hastings told them. "But…with all this…Would you mind explaining this Gary?"

"Gary?" Levi whispered.

"You didn't think his real name was Ace, did you?" Mrs Finch asked.

"That's…that's not mine!" He protested.

"Well, we did all hear you say it was your bag." Trevor reminded them. "There's a lot here, way more than personal use. That makes you our dealer. Ace, you're under arrest for the distribution of narcotics. You do not have to say anything when questioned, but anything you do say may be given in evidence."

As Trevor dragged Ace away, everyone just stood, watching on wordlessly. Monty finally broke the silence.

"So…um…Principal Hastings." He stammered. "About the door…"

"Get out Monty!" She told him, holding up her hands. "Just…everyone get out!"

As they all left, Principal Hastings just went into the cupboard to get a dustpan and brush.

 **A/N:** Sorry about the recent lack of activity folks! Had a few urgent things to attend to. Hope you enjoy the chapter!


	31. Abrakadanger Returns

Despite the best efforts of the teachers, word spread quickly at the school about what happened in the office. The one benefit of this was that very quickly the school was cleared as students scrambled to go home and process the news of what had happened in whatever way they needed to. Most of Ace's customers went home, likely to destroy or dispose of their supplies before Ace could talk, well aware that because his birthday was early in the year he was now 18 and could be criminally charged meaning there was likely soon going to be a lot of pressure put on him to talk about where he got his supply, and more importantly to them, where it went after that!

Kids were rushing to Social Media to post what they had heard and the discussion was blowing up about the fact that there had been dealing going on within the school, which thanks to everyone rushing to make the story as juicy as possible ranged from Ace being a dealer to him being actively involved in the South American Cartels long before anyone even had any idea how large his operation really was, and people were scrambling over themselves to either brag about never losing faith in Victor or to indicate how they only thought that Victor MIGHT have bought some drugs and never REALLY wanted him to be expelled. The point was, for now the school was no longer at risk of turning into a crowd control nightmare, but they were certain the headaches from the entire situation were likely only beginning.

Ace was taken to the precinct after his arrest, and taken straight into an interview room. Although not a detective, as the arresting officer, Trevor was invited to sit in on the interview. Ace was sitting in the interview room, slouching in his chair as the detective finally arrived.

"Detective Holt." He introduced himself as he sat down, opening up a file. "So, Gary…mind if I call you Gary?"

"It's Ace!" Ace corrected him. "Everyone calls me Ace."

"I'm not so sure that'll be the case for long." Trevor told him.

"Please, it's a little HGH, it's no big deal." Ace snorted. "I'll get a slap on the wrist, no doubt have to watch some lame video on the dangers of drugs and then go right back to…

"I hate to break it to you, but it's not that cut and dried." Detective Holt told him. "We found twenty vials in your bag, that puts you into the realms of being a dealer…"

"So, I'm a dealer! Bit freaking whoop!" Ace stated arrogantly. "I don't even mind admitting it! What about it?"

"I was going to say that it gives us probable cause to get a warrant to search your house." Detective Holt told them. "With what we've already found, we can already put a case together to make a felony case against you!"

"Wait, felony?" Ace asked. "You're not serious, this is just…"

"You've got quantities on you that make you a major dealer! What we found in your bag alone is enough to put you in prison for…"

"PRISON?" Ace screamed. "No, you're just trying to scare me! You can't…"

"Wake up Gary, you turned 18 in February! That makes you an adult!" Trevor informed him. "You can forget Juvie, if the DA decides to make an example you're going up state!"

"All we want to know is where do you get it?" Detective Holt asked him. "We've got no doubt that you're not the brains behind everything."

"What makes you think I'm not…?"

"Ace, how dumb are you really?" Trevor asked him. "We just told you that you could go to jail and you're now trying to tell us you want us to think you're the mastermind behind this?"

"I…I…" Ace started to stammer. Trevor just held up a hand.

"You know what? We could continue this, but I think there's someone who wants to talk to you first." He told him. He opened the door, at which he saw Victor on the other side. Ace just looked to him as he saw Victor coming in.

"We'll be right outside." Trevor told him, before putting a hand on Ace's shoulder. "Remember what we discussed."

Victor just nodded and took a seat as Detective Holt and Trevor left the room. Ace couldn't look at his cousin as he sat opposite him.

"Well?" Victor asked him. "What's this about?"

"You're the smart one." Ace stated. "Why don't you figure it out?"

"Ace, I knew you were using, at least…I suspected, but dealing?" Victor asked him. "What were you thinking?"

"It's a living." Ace told him.

"Do you know what else is a living? A real job!" Victor said in response. "This isn't about making a living, this is about taking an easy way out Ace, it's what you always did!"

"Well, that's easy for you to say! Everything always comes so easy to you!" Ace stated. "Victor the sports star. Victor the school president, Victor the honour student…"

"You think all of that is EASY?" Victor asked him. "I work hard for all of that Ace! I study for those grades! I work out and I watch what I eat! I train all the time in all those sports that I'm part of! I got all those trophies because I know that one day all of that will be what I take into a job interview where I'm competing against guys with exactly the same grades, maybe even better to show an employer what I can do that they can't!"

"Yeah, I forgot, you turned around and became Mr Suck up!" Ace said dismissively. "I remember when you got it! I remember when you didn't let anyone tell you what to do! I remember when…"

"You know what I remember? I remember we were a couple of losers!" Victor interrupted him. "We were a couple of time-wasting nobodies that thought we were cool because we made other people miserable. I remember we were nobodies going nowhere!"

"Then you turned around and became the sell-out…"

"I got my act together when I saw where that leads!" Victor yelled at him. "That shit that went down in Middle-school was a wake-up call Ace! I saw what we were doing to other people every day and what it could drive people to do! I did what I could to change and you…"

"That little shit tried to kill me and I'M the one that's being threatened with jail?" Ace protested. "He should be locked up!"

"He WAS locked up Ace! He was in an institution for months!" Victor reminded him. "I should know, I visited him, I saw what that place was like, I saw what we did to him and it made me look at who I was becoming. REALLY look, and it made me wake up to the fact that I was becoming the kind of thing my dad always hated, the kind of thing he fought against!"

"Yeah, your dad the war hero." Ace replied. "The regular real-life Captain America! Instead what do I get? I'll tell you what I get, I get a guy that hasn't even been seen since I was six months old and he went out for some beer and never came back! Everything's so great for you Victor! You have colleges throwing themselves at your feet to take a scholarship! Hell, that guy from Cal Tech wanted to take you to a steak dinner in a freaking Limo!"

"Is that what this is about Ace? You're sore that things are going well for me?" Victor asked him.

"I did this because I don't want to be a loser all my life! I don't want to be working some dead-end job for shit pay all my life!" Ace stated.

"Ace, you could have…"

"You've seen my grades; no college will give me the time of day!" Ace told him. "This gave me a chance of getting out of this shit hole town!"

"But why bring me into it?" Victor asked him. "Why turn on me?"

"YOU WERE THE ONE THAT TURNED ON ME!" Ace screamed as he finally looked at his cousin. "You sided with that freak in the glasses and you turned into someone with a future. What about me?"

"You tried to sabotage my life because you were lonely? Because you thought I'd leave you behind?" Victor asked him, before getting up from his chair. "Ace, we're done."

"What else is new?" Ace asked him.

"No, I mean…we're done done!" Victor answered. "You tried to ruin my life because you felt bad about yourself? If you can't see how messed up that is, I don't even know what to tell you! But I have a feeling you'll have plenty of time to figure it out. You'll just do so without me."

With that, he knocked on the door. Trevor opened it up, looking to Victor.

"Everything alright?" He asked him. He just shook his head.

"I tried." Victor told him. "You're on your own Ace. What happens now is all on you."

As Victor left and Trevor and Detective Holt came into the room and took their seats once more, Ace wiped a few tears away as they sat down.

"So, what do you say Ace?" Trevor asked. "You want to give us something better than you?"

"Better than me?" He asked. "Yeah, that's what everyone thinks. Call a lawyer. Do your worst."

"If that's what you really want." Detective Holt sighed. Trevor left the room with him, feeling no better about the situation than he did. He didn't see any more value in potentially sending a teenager to prison than Detective Holt did, but when all was said and done, it wasn't possible to help someone that didn't want to be helped.

The following day, the school was still closed. Principal Hastings didn't really see any point in opening the school for only one day, and opted instead to re-open the school on the Monday, hoping that by then the hubbub surrounding Ace's sudden downfall would have lost some of its lustre and people would be willing to get back to work and the discussion would turn to other matters. Hastings had already sent word to Victor that his suspension had been overturned and had issued an official apology from the school as well as a personal one from her.

As the Rangers were in the yard, working on some training, Hayley heard her phone buzzing and broke off from her sparring session with Brody to answer it.

"What is it?" Sarah asked.

"It's from Hastings." Hayley told them. "She said that Victor has asked to have a re-match on Monday."

"He still wants to play?" Calvin asked. Hayley just shrugged.

"I guess since neither of us won technically the title would be vacant if we didn't." She replied. "I'm a little surprised Victor wanted to do it. I wouldn't have been surprised if he had wanted to lay low for a little while."

"Lying low isn't really Victor's style." Sarah said with a little smile. "I mean, he's annoying but you have to admit, the guy has the guts to follow through on what he starts."

"So, what are you going to say?" Brody asked her. Hayley just smiled.

"What else?" She asked, tapping her phone. "If he's willing to give this another shot, then so am I!"

"Yeah, and Hayley and Victor aren't the only ones with follow-through." Brody stated, looking to Preston.

"Yeah, well what can I say? You really inspired me." Preston said to Hayley. "I couldn't have done it if you hadn't taught me about hard work."

They heard a cough from the corner, causing them all to look at Viera, who adopted a rather obvious 'what the hell?' pose.

"Uh…not to mention…none of this would have happened if I'd just listened to you in the first place Viera." Preston replied. "You were trying to look out for me and I didn't listen. I'm really sorry. Will you forgive me?"

"Well, it did give me an opportunity to help Victor while you were figuring that out for yourself." She conceded. "I guess…apology accepted. But try listening in future!"

"Oh, don't worry about that!" Preston assured her. "I have learned my lesson about playing with forces I'm not ready for the hard way!"

Just then, there was an alarm. Mick ran out in a panic.

"Guys, Abrakadanger is back!" He rushed out. "He's in Oakhill Plaza!"

"He must have repaired his staff!" Preston gulped. Brody just smiled.

"Well, just as well we have our own wizard as back-up." He replied. "You ready for this Preston?"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be!" He assured them, presenting his wand.

"Then let's make this guy disappear!" Calvin stated. Everyone just face-palmed. "What? Someone had to say it!"

"No Cal, they really didn't." Hayley said wearily as they all pulled out their morphers. "NINJA SPIN!"

Meanwhile, in his cruiser a little way from the Plaza, Trevor got the call about the attack.

"Calling all cars, monster attack at Oakhill Plaza." The radio crackled into life as he finished giving directions to one of the citizens on his patrol route. "All cars in the area to report for urgent evacuation and damage control!"

Trevor reached into the car and turned the radio onto another frequency, just as he had discussed with his followers. He found the right channel.

"Anyone broadcasting?" He asked.

"We got the message." One of his followers said. "We're bringing The Hammer."

"Alright, we don't know how often we'll get a chance like this." Trevor told them, going to the back of his car and pulling out military grade body armour and beginning to strap it on as he grabbed his weapons. "Remember, just like we talked about. First priority is to clear the area of collateral damage. After that…then we bring the pain!"

At the plaza, Abrakadanger had shown up with some Basher Bots and some Kudabots as back-up. Cosmo had sent down the Buzz-Cams ready to capture the action. Eager to make sure that he made sure the audience got their subscription fees' worth, Abrakadanger was already throwing around powerful spells to demonstrate his power. He turned a statue of the town founder that had stood for close to a century into butter, allowing it to melt into the ground just to get the reaction.

"Now that my wand is repaired, it's better than ever!" Abrakadanger declared. "Now the Blue Ranger will never be able to stop me!"

"Do you want to place a bet on that?" Preston asked as a smoke bomb went off, and the Rangers emerged from the cloud of smoke, beginning to attack the robots that had come to assist him. Abrakadanger was a little taken aback seeing the team reassembled. Only the Gold Ranger was missing, but since he had been sent to the other side of the country, he was sure that it would still take him a little while to get back, but everyone else was there.

"Wait, this is impossible! How could you have turned them all back?" Abrakadanger demanded. "Only a Master Magician could have done that!"

"Well, I don't claim to be a Master Magician yet, but with a lot of hard work, I figured out how to undo your spells!" Preston told him. "Do yourself a favour and leave now before we have to take you down HARD!"

"Does anyone EVER take you up on that offer?" Abrakadanger taunted him.

"No." Preston replied. "But that doesn't mean we don't give you the chance. If we can avoid a fight that leads to people getting hurt, we like to take it!"

"Sounds like weakness to me!" He responded, powering up his staff. "Do you think I ASKED for a title match with Galvanax? Those with true power don't ASK! They TAKE!"

"Then let's see how that ends for you!" Preston replied as he ran for Abrakadanger, dodging the first of his strikes as he closed the distance to attack, readying his ninja sword for action.

Meanwhile outside the Plaza, civilians were fleeing where they could. Explosions and blasts could already be heard from outside as Trevor arrived, putting on his helmet as he approached one of the fleeing citizens who was helping an injured victim out of the area.

"How is he?" Trevor asked as he approached, looking to the civilian. He did have some limited experience with battlefield trauma, but the biggest challenge was being able to assess how serious wounds were under heavy fire. Sometimes horrific looking wounds that left people covered in blood and looking like their survival was either a miracle or a cruelty of suffering turned out to have relatively minor wounds, while others who seemed to have what looked like reasonably small injuries would keel over dead moments later.

"It looks bad, but my dad's still breathing." The civilian responded.

"It looks like this man needs an ambulance. They should be arriving shortly!" Trevor told him. "Until then get him as far from the battle zone as you can carry him!"

"Can you help…?"

"I am helping!" Trevor replied, cradling his shotgun. He ran to where a truck rolled up and a SWAT unit was disembarking in full body armour and carrying heavy weapons. "Circle around! Secure the exits and entrances! Our first priority is the evacuation. I don't want a single casualty within a hundred yards of here!"

As the unit ran into the nearest entrance, beginning to fan out, and other trucks arrived with more units, the survivor and his father both stared at the arrivals.

"Is it just me or do they look like they're tooled up for a lot more than an evacuation?" He asked. The man just passed off his father to a paramedic as he saw an ambulance arriving, before heading back in. "WAIT! Where the hell are you going?"

"I need to see what's going on!" He called back.

"It's not your…it's too dangerous…DEVIN GET BACK HERE! DEVIN!"


	32. A Wizard Disappears

The battle in the plaza was raging on, and Brody and the others had fanned out to leave Preston to confront Abrakadanger. While he had been practicing magic a while, and knew a few very powerful spells, he wasn't exactly a sorcerer of Abrakadanger's level. Of course, right now he was the closest thing they had and so he was keeping the monster busy while the others took care of the Kudabots. All he needed to do was keep pace with Abrakadanger until the others could come and help him.

"Doof Ekam!" Abrakadanger called out, aiming for Preston's Ninja Sword. Preston's sword turned into a large candy cane in his hand. Preston kicked off of Abrakadanger, backflipping away.

"Cigam Odnu!" Preston called out, returning his sword to its natural state. Abrakadanger looked to him, and was more than a little impressed.

"Wow, until I saw it myself I was starting to doubt you had that power." Abrakadanger said to him. "It's not everyone that can manage an undo magic spell."

"Yeah, well I had some good motivation!" Preston told him. "I just practiced hard and learned!"

"Perhaps I don't need to destroy you all." Abrakadanger told him. "It's been some time since I had an apprentice. Perhaps if you and your friends just hand over your Power Stars, once I destroy Galvanax, I might have some time to train you. How would you like to become a great wizard?"

"If I do become a great wizard, I'll do it on my own!" Preston told him, levitating some rocks towards Abrakadanger, who deflected them with a few well-placed blasts. "I won't need someone like you!"

"Well, since you seem to be the only one that can undo my spells, I guess that means you're the one I should take down first!" Abrakadanger yelled, powering up his wand. "Let's see how good a magician you really are! ENOTS OT NURT!"

"REIRRAB ELBARTENEPMI!" Preston screamed, summoning up his barrier spell. Abrakadanger had seen him try and fail once before so he didn't try to stop the spell, but as it formed into a mirror, he could only watch as the spell rebounded, hitting the robots that had been sent to help him. The Rangers all watched as their opponents turned into statues.

"Way to go Preston!" Sarah called out, shoving over one of the Kudabots, which shattered on the ground.

"Yeah, nicely done!" Brody agreed, smashing another apart. The Rangers made quick work of destroying the statues before Abrakadanger could get the chance to try and turn them back. The monster suddenly realised he was now on his own, facing off against five Rangers.

"You think you scare me?" He asked. "I'll turn you all into ice-cubes just so I can watch you…"

He was stunned and staggered as Brody rushed into him, slicing into him with his Ninja Sword.

"It may not be magic, but it's got its uses!" Brody stated, pulling out the Lion Fire Armour Star and throwing it to Preston. "Presto! Take this! Show him what you can do! Guys, with me!"

The Rangers were so involved in their battle that they never noticed Trevor and his unit moving into position, circling around the plaza. Now that they were sure that they had cleared the area of bystanders, they were moving into position to cut off escape routes.

"This is Marx, is everyone in position?" He asked.

"Team one, the North side is secure." One of his followers answered.

"Team three, southwest is sealed up tight." Another called out. Trevor checked his weapon was ready, before flicking off the safety. He didn't see Devin making his move, coming to a hiding spot a little way off.

"Alright, weapons hot!" Trevor told them. "Remember, wait until the monster is down, then we make our move."

"Wait, what?" Devin asked himself as he pulled out his cell phone, switching it to camera mode. "Is he saying what I think he is?"

"Remember just keep an eye on them and concentrate your fire!" Trevor stated. "Those suits don't make them invincible and we'll bring them in."

"Holy shit, he's serious!" Devin said as he started recording. "Those guys are going after the Rangers!"

Brody spun his Element Star, swinging his sword into Abrakadanger, who barely managed to get his staff in the way of the blow.

"Keep it up guys!" Brody called out. "Keep up the pressure!"

"Element Star, Steel Strike!" Calvin called out, rushing in and striking him, knocking his wand upwards out of the way, just as Hayley and Sarah both rushed in, connecting with him and smashing him against a wall. Abrakadnager struggled to stay on his feet under the relentless assault.

"Having trouble there?" Preston said, seizing his wand in his hand. "I may not be a Master Magician yet, but I'm also a ninja, which means I do have other skills! Mess with my planet, and you awake a SLEEPING DRAGON!"

The Rangers all watched as flames erupted from within Preston, far brighter and more intense than they had ever seen before. He had summoned a small fire dragon before, one that was about the size of a kitten, but this time, this time it enveloped his whole body, channelling power from the Lion Fire Armour into the attack. Before Abrakadanger could do anything to stop it, Preston's dragon form consumed him in powerful flames. Preston appeared a little way off, turning around to watch as Abrakadanger fell towards the ground and exploded.

"Now THAT is what I call magic!" Preston declared. "Show's over, Ninjas WIN!"

"Preston, that was freaking AWESOME!" Calvin screamed.

"Dude, that was totally epic!" Brody agreed.

"You really are amazing." Sarah complimented him, hugging him tightly.

"Alright, let's move!" Trevor called out, at which the cops broke cover. The Rangers all watched as they saw cops in full body armour coming in towards them.

"Wow, I never realised how long we'd been here. I didn't even hear them arrive." Brody stated.

"It's alright guys, you don't need to worry, we've got this under control!" Calvin called out.

"Uh guys…" Hayley started to say nervously. That was when Sarah noticed something else that was worrying.

"Guys, is it just me or are they pointing those guns at us?" Sarah asked.

"Alright, weapons on the ground, you're coming with us!" Trevor called out.

"Wait, what?" Calvin asked.

"You're under arrest!" Trevor told them. "This is your final warning!"

"Under arrest? Are you serious?" Calvin asked, beginning to move forward. "Look, there's been some kind of AAAAGHH!"

Calvin was blasted back as one of the cops started to open fire. The other Rangers immediately broke to run, but found their way blocked by other units. They had to take cover as the police started to surround them.

"What the hell is going on?" Sarah screamed.

"They're shooting at us!" Brody called back.

"I got that part, but WHY?" Sarah asked in response.

"Uh, that's on us." Preston said to them. "Little update we meant to fill you in on…um…apparently there are cops that hate us now!"

"Yeah, we totally meant to fill you in on that." Hayley agreed. "Our bad."

"OK, we can figure that out later, but right now what do we do about the fact they've surrounded us and are shooting at us?" Calvin asked. "I don't know about you but I for one don't really think turning up on the six o'clock news beating up a bunch of Summer Cove's Finest is going to do our public image much good!"

"We might not have much of a choice." Sarah stated. "I don't know about you but those couple of shots I took hurt like a bitch! Their weapons can hurt us and they have a lot of them!"

"We'll call that the final option!" Brody answered. "Until then, let's try and find a way to slip out. We need a distraction…"

"Think that counts?" Preston asked as a beam came down, hitting the ground where Abrakadanger had fallen.

"I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but thank you Cosmo!" Brody called out as Abrakadanger started to grow. Trevor and his unit turned their attention to him, opening fire as they started to fall back. Brody called over to them.

"Get out of here!" Brody called to them. "You're not equipped to deal with this, we are!"

"Brody, I think we're a bit beyond the conversation part of the proceedings." Hayley told him, pulling out her Zord Star.

"Alright, it's time we take over here." Brody stated. "Preston, you take the lead!"

"Alright, Ninja Steel Megazord, Dragon formation!" He yelled as they all leapt into their Zords. Abrakadanger jumped onto his wand and kicked off the ground, soaring into the air. "He's taking off! Just as well these wings aren't just for show!"

With that, they took off, flying after Abrakadanger as he took to the skies high over the city. Trevor pulled himself up off the ground, ripping off his helmet.

"Dammit all, we had them!" He screamed.

"Marx…"

"We had them pinned down and then this happened!" He answered. "This is such a screw up!"

"Marx, you saw them, we had them pinned down, that means we know we have them scared!" Another reminded him.

"Yeah, and now they know we're closing in on them!" Trevor muttered. "How could this get any worse?"

Meanwhile, from a spot a little way off, Devin started to dial his phone.

"Hello, it's me!" He rushed out.

"What? Devin, why are you calling me?" The voice on the other end asked. "This isn't exactly a good time…"

"Look, I know you're busy but…"

"BUSY? Devin, I'm sitting at my desk right now, we're about to go live!" The voice on the other end told him. "It's not like you don't know my schedule…"

"Cass, please, just look at this video file I've taken!" He told her.

"I'll look later…"

"Please, will you just trust me?" He asked her. "You won't regret it!"

"I can't just drop everything and watch your phone video Devin, I'm the anchor of a major news show!" She reminded him.

"That's exactly why you need to see this! Some cops just attacked the Power Rangers!" Devin told her. "I have the whole thing on video!"

"Devin…are you…are you serious?" She asked him.

"Cassidy, there are a lot of things I joke about, but I never joke about news footage!" He told her. "Check it out, you will NOT regret it!"

Meanwhile in the skies, the Rangers were in close pursuit of Abrakadanger, trying to drive him from the city. Although they were doubtful that he would simply leave without any further incident, they were keen to take the battle as far from a populated area as they could.

Abrakadanger dodged, being narrowly missed by one of Preston's Dragon Blasts.

"Alright, I think we've got him far enough from the city." Preston told them. "We can go wherever you can! Give it up or we'll bring you down hard!"

"You can go wherever I can? Ha! Let's see how well you fly when your zord has been turned into stone!" He called out, firing a blast backwards. Preston tried to dodge, but they were so close behind him in an attempt to bring him down that he didn't have time to react. Before they team knew what was happening, their Megazord was falling to the ground fast.

"What's happening? None of the controls are responding!" Brody called out.

"I…think I know what the problem is!" Sarah said as her podium started to turn to stone. "Last time I checked stone wasn't exactly an idea material for building aircraft from!"

"Everyone hold on!" Calvin said as they ploughed into the ground, leaving a long trench behind them as they skidded along the ground. "Is everyone OK?"

"I'll live." Brody stated. "But I'll feel a lot better once we get rid of this guy! I just need to get into another Zord and…"

"Brody, there's a problem here!" Sarah told him. "With the Zord turned to stone the doors are too! That means they won't open!"

"So, we're trapped in here?" He asked.

Just then, the whole Zord rocked.

"What the hell is going on?" Brody asked.

"Now he's grounded us, I think Abrakadanger's decided to get in a few free shots!" Hayley told him.

"We're sitting ducks!" Brody stated.

"I…I think I can use my undo spell." Preston told them. "I've never tried it on this scale before but…"

"We don't have much choice!" Brody told him as he steadied himself following another blast. "I just hope the Zord holds together long enough."

"You guys sound like you could use a distraction!" Levi stated.

"Levi?" Brody asked over the communicator.

"It might have taken a while, but Zords are the ONLY way to travel!" He told them. "I'll take care of Abrakadanger for you!"

Abrakadanger was sent flying as Levi and his Bull Rider Zord appeared on the scene, blasting him away from the Rangers. He got the monster's attention on him, allowing the Rangers to work on turning themselves back to normal.

"You again? I should have sent you to Antarctica!" The evil sorcerer exclaimed. "It's not a mistake I'll be making again! Take that!"

Levi used his Zord's superior speed to dodge the incoming blasts, perfectly certain that if even one hit him, it would take him more than a couple of days' solid travel to get back this time. Abrakadanger's frustration started to noticeably build as his blasts came more readily, but also more wildly and seemed to lack the necessary aim.

"Will you hold STILL?" He screamed in anger.

"Sorry, but that's just not going to happen!" Levi answered, disengaging the Robo Rider Zord. "Now let's see how you do without THIS!"

The Robo Rider Zord grabbed Abrakadanger's staff, and with a quick motion, threw him overhead, while ripping the staff from his grip. Abrakadanger got up, realising that his staff was no longer in his hand.

"My staff!" He screamed. "Give that back!"

"Oh, sure I will." Levi replied, before the Robo Rider Zord snapped it across its knee. "OOPS! Sorry, you didn't specify how many pieces you wanted it in!"

"You're going to pay for AAAGGGHHHH!" He called out, just as he was hit in the back by a blast. He turned around to see the Ninja Steel Megazord had now returned to normal. He held up his hands, backing away as he now realised he had the might of two Megazords to contend with.

"No…no…this isn't fair! You can't…"

"And I suppose it would have been fair if we didn't have our own magic to counter yours?" Preston asked. "I say it's high time we made this wizard disappear for good! Ninja Fusion Star, Activate!"

Abrakadanger could only watch as the Zords all combined, before levelling their weapons his way.

"FINAL STRIKE!" They all called out as they opened fire. The blasts ripped through Abrakadanger, who just stood for a moment, before sinking to his knees, then flopping face-first to the ground where he exploded. Preston levelled the Ninja Master Blade over his shoulder.

"I may not be a Master Magician yet, but I think I make a pretty damn good ninja!" Preston said with a smile. "Show's over, Ninjas WIN!"

Back at the precinct, Trevor and his team returned to the garage. Trevor was livid that the Rangers had slipped through his fingers. He had them pinned down. He was under no false impression that he had caught them by surprise. He was sure he had even heard one of them say that they didn't know the cops were even after them and question why they were firing at them!

They had the Rangers pinned down, and it was clear that by using the strongest weapons available to them, they were able to hurt them. They also seemed reluctant to fight back, no doubt because of their belief that somehow, they were the good guys, that their actions somehow made the fact their battles left entire neighbourhoods in ruin justified the fact they acted completely without any kind of legal mandate or consequence for their behaviour. He felt like it was possible they were only moments from bringing them in if it wasn't for Abrakadanger coming back.

"Son of a BITCH!" Trevor roared, throwing his helmet into the floor, where it smashed into a couple of different pieces. "We were so close, we HAD them!"

"Marx, that thing was huge! We were lucky to get out alive!" One of them responded. "If it wasn't for the Rangers…"

"I swear to GOD Eddie, if you complete that sentence I'll shoot you myself!" Trevor warned him, kicking what was left of his helmet across the garage. "Damn it, now they know we're coming. We're never going to get the drop on them like that again!"

"So, what do we do now?" One of them asked. "I mean, like you said, that was our best shot. Now they know we're coming for them…"

"It just means we need to be smarter, even BETTER prepared!" Trevor stated.

"Better prepared?" One of them asked. "How?"

That was a sticking point. Trevor really did have no idea how to progress from there. One of them just coughed and pointed behind them. Trevor turned to see Ellie standing behind him.

"Ellie, what can I do for you?" He asked her.

"Trevor, I was asked to find you by Sterling." She told him.

"The fed?" One of them asked. "What the hell does she want?"

"You're kidding right?" She asked. Trevor shook his head, at which Ellie pulled out her phone, showing him some footage.

"Our leading report again, our on-location correspondent Devin Del Val has risked his life to bring us this exclusive and unbelievable footage of the Power Rangers' latest battle with an unexpected and dare we say unwelcome addition." The reporter stated as some rough footage started up. "Reports are so far unconfirmed, but it appears as though members of Summer Cove Police Department are actually attacking the Power Rangers! Channel 6 has contacted the SCPD but so far, they have yet to make an official statement. This is Cassidy Cornell for Channel 6 news!"

"Marx!" They heard someone call out. They all looked up to see Agent Sterling standing a little way off. "My office, if you please!"

Trevor just rolled his eyes and followed her as she led him towards her office, while the other officers started to slowly find other places to be.


	33. Warnings

Trevor followed Grace into her office, closing the door behind him. He was a good cop, and before that had been a good soldier, but like everyone else he had been on the receiving end of a chewing out every once in a while, and he had fully expected to stare down the barrel of that again once news of his movement came to light. He always knew an unpopular view like the fact the Rangers should be held to account for their battles would land him in hot water. He was a LITTLE surprised that Sterling was the one to call him into the Principal's Office so to speak and not his captain, but none the less he was well aware of what likely faced him. He stood facing her desk, his hands clasped behind his back.

Her office was surprisingly impressive. Until recently it had been a storage closet, but in a remarkably short period of time, it had been completely redecorated into an office! The walls were covered in a kind of peaked gray material that he recognised as sound-proofing, the carpet was a deep red colour, and the walls were lined with shelves and pictures detailing all of Grace's accomplishments. Trevor didn't claim to be a fan or have paid much attention, but he knew that Grace Sterling was a big deal. She was the head of Promethea, a private company that had done wondrous acts of good all over the world and was making cutting edge technology that rumour had it made Tesla look like it had just figured out how to carve stone. She had been a member of NASADA up until 1970, leaving after narrowly missing out on the Apollo 11 mission to Neil Armstrong, and seeing the number of commendations, awards and pictures of World Leaders around, it was clear she had been a leading figure in virtually every administration since the Nixon Administration. Although many her age were already retired, Grace Sterling was still highly active, and even walked with a power that was reminiscent of someone a fraction of her age as she went around to the other side of her ornate, oak desk, carved into patterns which included a Tyrannosaurus Rex, an Eagle, and Apollo himself on his chariot.

"Take a seat Marx." She told him.

"I'd prefer to stand." He replied sharply. "Ma'am."

Grace just stared at him with this act of defiance. It wasn't really offence that he would refuse a direct order, if anything it was more of a look that suggested she had seen a challenge to her authority. It was a look that didn't really suggest she was planning to insist, but that suggested she was under the impression if she wanted to, she could go around the desk and make him sit if she wanted. She just let out a sigh.

"Very well." She replied, tapping a few keys on her computer and pulling up what he presumed was his record. "So, would you mind telling me what you thought you were doing?"

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but people are required to have licences for their weapons in this State." He said with a little smirk.

"Don't try me Marx; you're nowhere near cute enough for that." She told him flatly. "Your department was just broadcast on the six o'clock news opening fire on the Power Rangers. What do you think that looks like...?"

"I wasn't aware that enforcing the law was a popularity contest." He interrupted her. "It wouldn't be the first time people weren't happy about an arrest we were making, but if we just let everyone go that was breaking a law just because they were popular enough..."

"I think it's only fair to let you know that Captain Raymond is not happy about this. He's been called for official statements on the department's position on the Power Rangers all afternoon." She told him. "If it was up to him, the only choice you'd be getting is if you wanted your balls cooked first before he fed them to you!"

"Well that was...graphic." Trevor answered. She just glared at him.

"You'd do well to keep me onside Marx. Make no mistake if it was up to Raymond, you'd already be on your way out of the door. He was all for ghosting you." She informed him. "You'd of course be on full pay pending an investigation, but he was going to suspend you and he wouldn't exactly be in a hurry to get through the investigation if you catch my drift."

"You're saying...?"

"I'm saying I'm the one that stopped him." She answered. "I'm the one that's standing between you and an indefinite amount of time sitting on your ass on the couch at home, so you'd do well to stow the attitude with me!"

She looked to the computer as Trevor tried to make sense of what he had heard. Sterling was saving him? Why would she want to save him?

" _Because she's lying."_ He heard a whisper. He looked around, trying to figure out what it was. He wasn't sure if he even had heard anything. Was his mind playing tricks on him? Was this just him processing what she had said?

" _She's lying. She's the one stopping you!"_ The voice came again. He seemed to feel like the voice was coming from behind him. Grace looked up from the computer.

"Your record is very impressive." She told him. "19 letters of commendation, six mayoral awards, nothing but positive performance reviews." She told him. "Your military record would no doubt be impressive too...if I could see most of it."

"What?" He asked.

"Well, I see that you were in line for a whole number of awards. The Silver Star, The Purple Heart...yet you seem to have been given an honourable discharge without so much as a campaign medal after three tours in Afghanistan." She said. "The majority of which is redacted."

"You pulled my military record?" He asked her. "How did you...?"

"There is very little that is beyond my reach. If those records are sealed from me, that only leaves about three people who have that access." She told him. "I don't know what happened to you out there Marx, but if it's sealed to me, I can only imagine how bad it must have been."

" _She's just pretending to be your friend."_ The voice whispered again. _"Don't fall for her lies."_

"So you're playing the sympathy card? You're pretending to be some sensitive type that wants to brand me as a victim of PTSD that doesn't know any better and just coddle me into giving up on this?" He asked her. "I expected better from you."

"I know what PTSD can do, believe me." She told him. "But if you misdirect that anger of yours against the Rangers..."

"You mean people who hide behind masks and don't take one lick of responsibility for what they do?" Trevor snapped at her. "Sorry, but that doesn't sit well with me."

"Marx..."

"If they're the heroes they pretend to be, why can't they let us know who they are? Why can't they leave themselves open to the same level of oversight we do?" He asked her. "I was a kid when the Lightspeed team were active, but they never hid who they were!"

"That was a different set of circumstances entirely." She told him.

"People only wear masks if they're afraid or ashamed of their actions!" Trevor put down flatly. "I've ripped masks off before and I'll do it again if I get the chance!"

"Sometimes masks are necessary. Believe me; I know that better than most." She put down flatly. "You will back off. If not, I will..."

"Trust me; I've been threatened by a lot scarier people than you." Trevor interrupted her. "Is that all?"

"I doubt you've faced scarier than me." She answered, before gesturing to the door. "You've been warned. What you do now is up to you."

As he turned to leave, he gripped the side of his head as he heard the voice again, this time louder than before.

" _She's lying! The Rangers are the enemy!"_ He heard again. He looked up towards where it sounded like the voice was coming from. He saw a curved, green dagger in a glass case on a shelf by the door. _"Take the power from her! Use it!"_

"Are you alright?" She asked him.

"Just a headache." He told her. "I'll live."

With that, he left the room. Grace just let out a sigh before picking up her phone and dialling.

"It's Sterling." She stated. "I want the full works on Trevor Marx. I need full access, everything!"

The voice on the other end clearly wasn't giving her the response she was looking for, as she just rolled her eyes.

"I've been on every administration for longer than you've been alive. If I want something, I will get it." She warned the person on the other end. "Either you can give me what I want or I can get it myself but if I...wait...did you just...YOU HUNG UP? DAMN IT!"

She slammed the phone down, before stroking her temples as she heard something. She looked to the dagger.

"You can shut up as well." She told the voice.

Over at the High School, the Rangers and Viera assembled in the Ranger Base following the battle with Abrakadanger. Mick had ensured they had supplies to celebrate and unwind after their battle, and they were all glad to see the back of yet another powerful monster.

"And that's how we make another one disappear!" Preston said with a smile, to a lot of groans for the others. "OK, OK, that's the last one I promise!"

"Preston, you are such a massive dork." Brody laughed. "But when you can pull tricks like that dragon transformation...you're definitely a dork we like."

"Make that love." Hayley added, patting him on the shoulder as Sarah held him.

"Abrakadanger was definitely the most powerful monster we've faced, and that would be scary enough." Mick told them. "But he's also not under contract to the Warrior Dome."

"What?" Calvin asked. "What does that mean?"

"Galaxy Warriors isn't the only intergalactic fight network out there." Brody told them. "It's easily the most popular, but there are others."

"Kind of like how WWE is the biggest promotion in wrestling, but there's ROH and Lucha Underground and stuff like that?" Sarah asked. The others just stared at her. "Oh yeah, Koda and Alessandra, two of my closest friends are professional wrestlers, big surprise I know a little about the scene!"

"Well, yeah, that's exactly the case." Brody told her. "Abrakadanger was one of the hottest free-agents on the independent circuit."

"That means that Cosmo's no longer just restricting himself to people on his own roster." Mick concluded. "That could be really bad news; there are some pretty scary creatures out there."

"There are also pretty scary people down here." Calvin replied. "What is the deal with those cops?"

"Yeah, since when did they start shooting at us?" Sarah complained. "As if we don't have enough to worry about!"

"I think I can explain that." They heard someone say as the door to the base opened. They all got up and quickly adopted guards as a tall, blonde man walked into the room.

"OK, I don't know who you are, but you better start talking very fast!" Levi warned him.

"Alright, maybe I should have thought about..." He started to say, before doing a double-take. "Wait, are you Levi Weston? WOW! I didn't...my husband and his band opened for you in the concert in Summer Cove a couple of months back!"

"Uh, can we concentrate on the matter at hand?" Brody asked. "Namely, who are you and how do you know about any of this?"

"Right, of course." The stranger replied, taking a deep breath. "I know why the cops are after the Rangers, and...I'm sorry to say that it's largely my fault."

"What do you...?"

"We have a few mutual friends; it just took me a while to find out which ones could point me in the direction of this place." He said. "It's probably going to be a lot easier to convince you to trust me if I just show you who I am."

He pulled out his cell phone, flipping it open. He pointed it towards them, at which it started to trace a glowing red symbol in the air.

"Go Go Samurai!" He called out, sending it spinning out, before it returned, instantly transforming him into the Red Samurai Ranger. The team just blinked as he stood before them, pulling off his helmet.

"My name's Jayden, I'm the Red Samurai Ranger." He explained. "And unfortunately I'm a little late it seems, but I'm here to explain to you why there are cops gunning for you."

"Alright, we're listening." Brody told him, gesturing to him to take a seat. "Would you like something to drink?"

"That would be appreciated." Jayden replied, sitting down as Mick poured him a drink and tried to think how to begin.

Up on the Warrior Dome, Wrench was just having his new legs attached, well, one of them anyway. Cosmo seemed to be delighting in making sure it was taking as long as possible to completely rebuild him. He had a Kudabot's left leg but the rest of him had been replaced.

"I promise, we'll have you back to normal soon." Cosmo said with a little smile. "As for Abrakadanger..."

"Your Indy darling failed as badly as all the others!" Galvanax laughed as he gleefully sat in the corner, setting light to glossy pictures of the fallen wizard. "I've seen dozens just like him come and go over the years. None of them ever last!"

"He came closer than anyone on our roster." Madame Odious said, before looking to her client. "But as always, the cream rises to the top!"

"You weren't saying that earlier." Wrench muttered in a low voice.

"What was that?" She asked.

"Uh...I was...uh...I was just telling this useless creature to keep the joints nice and tight." Wrench told him, smacking the kudabot welding his leg on the head. "You call that a weld? I've seen kindergarteners do a better job! Give me that torch, I'll do it myself!"

"The point is, Abrakadanger's appearance was a ROARING success!" Cosmo said with glee, kicking back and tossing his top-hat onto the hat stand as he lit up a cigar.

"IT WAS?" They all chorused.

"Of course it was! I put two of the largest draws in the entire industry into a match together! The pay-per-view revenues for this one bout are bigger than some of my previous seasons!" He said in an elated tone. "Not to mention since Odious here signed him to a contract, his image is now our property...with Abrakadanger dead, there's no one to claim his share, which means all of his merchandise royalties from his upcoming memorial range are going straight into my pocket!"

"You mean OUR pockets!" Odious corrected him.

"Yes, yes of course, OUR pockets." Cosmo said with a wave of his hand.

"But what about next week?" Wrench asked him. "How are we going to follow that up?"

"Oh, who even cares by this point? It really doesn't matter!" Cosmo told him.

"It doesn't?" They all chorused again. Cosmo just smiled again.

"Of course it doesn't. We can feed them anyone. We just need someone that will last the length of a show; next week is their final opponent." He answered, before turning to Galvanax. "Then we all know what comes next? Don't we?"

Galvanax got up and roared in triumph, before leaving the office to go and train in preparation of his long-awaited bout. He'd been longing to get his hands on the Rangers again ever since they had caught him by surprise and injured him in their earlier fight. Only Cosmo's rules and his contract kept him from going to exact his revenge, but after the next opponent, the Rangers were eligible for a title shot, which meant that they were fair game.

"I'll go and find someone to feed to the Rangers." She told him. Cosmo looked to Wrench who got to his feet unsteadily.

"It's been a long road Wrench; I want to make sure everything goes smoothly." He told him. "I trust I can rely on you."

"Of course you can." Wrench answered as he headed back to his lab. He already knew what the implication was. He had lost a lot of favour with Cosmo, which was why he was being punished in this way. He was being warned to remember where his loyalties lay. As he got back to the lab, he pressed a panel, opening up a wall and viewed some growing tubes. It turned out that he had a few samples of viable DNA that let him re-grow some allies.

"Yes, you can rely on me." Wrench told him, approaching two tubes, one where a pink heart shape had re-formed and another where a green scaled head was growing into a bronze helmet. "Odious is going to make her move soon, and when she does, she'll learn there are a lot scarier things in this universe than her!"

Back in the Ranger Base, Jayden had finished filling in the team on what happened on Manilua. The team already knew that Jerry had been taken down, and that a cop had been hurt in the process, but since Sarah's dad had been returned safely, all they knew was what they had heard from the official releases. Al had, unsurprisingly, not been all that talkative about the whole incident.

"So it was you that took down Jerry?" Sarah asked. Jayden just nodded.

"Yes, it was." He told her. "And I'm so sorry..."

He was cut off as Sarah launched herself at him, gripping him in a tight hug.

"Thank you!" She whispered to him. "Thank you so much. I...I don't know what I'd have done if anything had happened to dad."

"I'm glad I could help, but it was Spike that did most of the work." Jayden reminded her. "Unfortunately, from what I learned afterwards, if I'd waited a couple of seconds longer, I'd have seen he'd already convinced Jerry to give up the gun. It was me getting involved that made him panic and pull the trigger."

"It sounds like an accident." Brody assured him. "For what it's worth, given the scene you described...I don't think there's anyone in this room that probably wouldn't have done the same thing."

"I know I probably would have." Levi agreed. "When you see a gun pointed at someone, you have to make a decision pretty quickly."

"Unfortunately that's not the way Spike's partner saw it." Jayden told them. "I still get a ringing sound in my ears when I think about that bullet bouncing off my helmet."

"Unfortunately they're throwing a lot more firepower our way now." Preston answered. "I know the suits take a beating, but those rounds still hurt!"

"Not to mention they're probably only going to escalate." Hayley answered.

"I'm really sorry guys, I...I messed up, and if it was just me that was wearing it, I'd be fine with that, but..."

"Jayden, what's done is done. We can't undo it." Brody told him.

"But it's not right you guys carry the can." Jayden reiterated. "If it was just me, then I'd come forward. I'd tell the cops who I am and turn myself in. I'd face the consequences myself but now we've got Stephanie..."

"I don't honestly think that would make much difference anyway." Sarah interrupted him. "I know that we all wear the Spandex, but our suits are pretty different to yours. I don't think these guys see the difference though. One guy running around in Spandex looks like any other to them."

"I really wish there was more I could do." Jayden told them.

"If you want to do us a favour, you go back to that daughter of yours and take care of her." Sarah said with a smile. "Maybe bring her around so that I can get a cuddle."

"I...think I can manage that." Jayden replied with a weak laugh. "I also have to make this up to Spike. I don't know how much ice-cream makes up for losing four inches of your colon, but he seems determined to find out!"

"Tell him to get well soon!" Calvin said as Jayden got up to leave.

"Oh, he's already determined to go back to work!" Jayden assured them. "He's a tough kid, stubborn too! He's not going to let a little thing like this scare him off!"

As Jayden left, the team all turned back towards each other.

"Well, at least now we know why this is happening." Sarah sighed. "Poor guy, I know what it's like seeing your mistakes take such a turn. I nearly gave up on engineering altogether after the clone thing."

"It's definitely going to make things more complicated." Levi answered. "I mean, I don't know about you but putting Summer Cove's finest in the hospital is not something I relish the thought of doing...even the trigger-happy jerks among them."

"It's not on my to-do list." Preston agreed.

"I guess we can just hope we're done with all this before we have to have to butt heads with them too much." Hayley replied. They all stared at her.

"What do you mean by that?" Mick asked.

"You guys haven't been keeping track?" Hayley asked. "Cosmo told us all at the beginning. All of this, it's all part of his show. All of this is a run-up to the final showdown."

"We know that..."

"No, I mean LITERALLY!" She reminded them. "We're on a ladder! He told us we were earning our way to a title shot!"

"Uh...does it matter that we don't care about the title?" Calvin asked. She shook her head.

"I don't think so." She told them. "But the thing is, if my count is right...we only have one more fight to go."

"One more?" Preston gulped. "And then..."

"Then it's the title bout." She announced. The whole room fell silent as they contemplated what she had said. They all knew it was coming, but with all the distractions going on, none of them realised how close it really was.


	34. The Rematch

Normally having a weekend off would have been considered a good thing for Trevor. Such was the nature of his job as a police officer that often weekends and holidays were some of the busiest times for him and so he very rarely got any of them off, but after his meeting with Sterling, he was still furious. He was under no false impressions that he was being silenced. Captain Raymond was apparently in favour of simply suspending him pending an investigation, an investigation that likely would never reach a conclusion. While the idea of being paid to sit at home doing nothing was appealing to some, for Trevor it was a horrible thought. He genuinely wanted to help others. He had always been that way, even long before he returned from Afghanistan and joined the Police Academy. He was one of those people that if he could afford to, he'd probably do the job for free. It was more about making a difference than anything else.

But he also knew it was about getting him out of the way more than anything else. The department wouldn't be able to fire him, but by suspending him and removing him from duty, they could ensure he wasn't in any position to go after the Rangers again. The only reason Sterling had intervened on his behalf was because she likely foresaw this turning him into a martyr to his followers. He had already gotten messages from some indicating they were going to cool off and lay low for a while, which he knew to mean that they were likely just going to give up on the crusade altogether.

He was perfectly certain that he was looking forward to being given busy work for the foreseeable future. It wasn't as if he had been disciplined, so they couldn't really punish him in any way, but it was perfectly reasonable to expect an officer of Trevor's experience to be assigned to the custody sign-in desk, or to the equipment store, or desk duties, basically anything that would keep him as far from the street as was possible without firing him. Trevor had no doubt that was what he was likely facing on Monday, but that wasn't the only thing he was thinking about. The other thing he couldn't shake was the voice he kept hearing in Sterling's office.

He couldn't place what it was, but it kept taunting him, telling him that she was lying, telling him that she was only trying to protect the Rangers. He had been through much in his life, but he had been cleared by numerous psychological assessments in his life. He had his issues, particularly after his final tour had ended, but he hadn't ever felt like he was losing his mind.

As he pulled into the driveway and got out the car, he heard some sounds coming from the back garden. He went around the side of the house, finding Hayley out the back, with her tennis racket, hitting the ball off the side of the house. He smiled as he approached.

"Someone's working hard." He commented as he got closer.

"The game with Victor's back on now he's been cleared." Hayley told him. "I would probably have just let it go. I wouldn't have blamed Victor if he didn't feel like playing again after what happened, but if he's willing to go for a re-match, then I guess I can't really complain."

"Tell you what. I have a little time." Trevor told her. "How about I give you an opponent a little less predictable than the back wall this weekend?"

"I can't ask you to do that." Hayley replied. "It's the first weekend you've had off in months, you should do something with mom."

"Hayley, I didn't just marry your mom, in a way I married you too." He said, before pausing. "And…that sounded a little less creepy in my head."

"It's cool, I know what you meant." Hayley laughed. "You make mom really happy and I kind of like having you around too. Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Well, I have plenty of time to be able to spend some with both of my favourite girls." Trevor answered. "How about we train here for an hour or so and then we can get your mom and go for dinner?"

"I'd like that." Hayley replied as Trevor picked up a racket. "So, how was work?"

"Yeah…let's just say, hitting something really hard might do me some good right now." Trevor answered. Hayley just shrugged.

"I guess we all have bad days." She told him, bouncing a ball a couple of times. "Here it comes, and it's coming with plenty of heat!"

By the time Monday rolled around, the school was somewhat abuzz with news of the re-match. There was still a lot of division in the crowd, but by now the school wasn't as close to tearing itself apart as it was before the disciplinary hearing. The school had, of course, followed its confidentiality policy to the letter, but High School being High School, everyone already knew what had happened. News of Ace being arrested was already one of the biggest stories around, and it wasn't as though the school could exactly hide the fact that he was no longer at the school when he didn't turn up, all but confirming his expulsion and arrest. Most of Ace's crew were doing what they could to fly under the radar, either because they wanted to distance themselves from Ace or because they didn't want the school to start investigating how much they knew about what Ace was up to.

As lunchtime came around, and the students took to the courts for the match, Viera and the Rangers were already waiting to get their front-seat view. The stands were starting to fill up as Principal Hastings prepared to umpire the game. Hayley was on the court, warming up for the game with Calvin there for some encouragement.

"Wow, it looks like the whole school is here." Brody commented.

"Yeah, there's more people here for this than the original match." Preston agreed.

"Why do I get the feeling most of them aren't exactly here for the tennis?" Sarah asked.

"Anyone else noticing how many of the school athletes are looking a little strung-out?" Preston asked.

"Withdrawals." Sarah sighed. "I guess Ace had a lot more customers than we thought. No wonder there's so much anti-Victor sentiment."

"Speaking of which…" Brody said as Victor came out, closely followed by Monty, who was carrying all his equipment. There were a lot of loud boos as he got onto the court, all of which Victor could hear. "Aw man, that's pretty brutal."

"Yeah, he didn't do anything wrong." Sarah said.

"I'm…just going to see if Monty's alright." Viera said as she ran over, seeing Monty struggling with the equipment. Principal Hastings called both of them to the centre court.

"Students of Summer Cove High, we all know why we're here. Welcome to the Summer Cove Tennis Championship Game." She called out.

"I hope you piss tested him!" Someone called out from the crowd.

"No way, those can be faked!" Someone else said. "Blood test!"

"I can assure you BOTH contestants are here on their own merit and steps have been taken to ensure that the game is fair and square!" She put down flatly. "Now, I want a good clean game from both of you!"

Hayley and Victor both went to their starting positions as Principal Hastings took up the umpire's chair. Hayley prepared for her serve, staring down Victor. She launched the ball into the air, before driving it down the centre line. Victor swung, but missed the first serve, which went straight past, giving Hayley first blood.

"Nice swing Victor!" Someone chuckled.

"Drive it down his throat next time!" Someone else called out.

"Oh, come on!" Monty protested as they tried to maintain order. Principal Hastings finally calmed everyone down enough to get the players to set back up. Hayley threw up the ball for her second serve, aiming for another ace, hoping that perhaps by keeping the game short, she could spare Victor some of the worst of the comments. However, this time as the ball came for him, he managed to return it. She did get to the ball, but quick as anything, Victor was over by the net and had driven the ball straight down into her half. He just smiled and shrugged as there was some polite applause. Hayley returned the smile as they prepared to set up again.

Over at the police station, as he predicted, Trevor was assigned to busy work. The Captain hadn't specifically called him out for anything, but so far, he had been asked to inventory the equipment room, catch up on his paperwork and help Ellie put citations and summons into envelopes. Right now, he was assigned to the worst task of all, organising the evidence locker.

By law, evidence from all the cases that the Summer Cove Police Department had been involved with was bagged up, bundled into boxes, given barcodes and filed according to the date the case was closed before being held for at least five years after the case was prosecuted in case of an appeal at which it would be sent to a central unit. Of course, the problem was that due to chain of evidence policy, very few people were allowed access to the evidence locker. It was all very strictly regulated who was allowed to access the locker. People had to sign in and out just to get into the room, and then they had to sign in and out any boxes they opened to ensure that a very strict control was kept on who had touched it to maintain the integrity of any case. Of course, police officers weren't necessarily the most organised of people. After spending months, even years on a case, once they had secured a conviction, a lot of officers were happy just to seal up the box and toss it in the first available space. Trevor was finding out just how difficult that could make it to find any individual box. The simple act of reorganising those boxes was as soul-crushing as he expected.

"Alright, that's all for May 2014." He groaned, putting the box on the shelf. "Time to start looking for June."

" _She's keeping you from your true task."_ He heard the voice say. Trevor just looked around for signs of anyone in the room.

"Alright, who's there?" He asked.

" _You are a warrior, that much I can see…and yet she has you neutered and tamed."_ He heard.

"Alright, I have more paper cuts than I can count, I'm tired and thanks to this department's cheap-ass air conditioning I'm sweating like a pig! I am really NOT in the mood guys!" Trevor snapped, walking around the room. Suddenly, his head started to burn, and an intense pain shot through it.

" _You used to fight for what meant something to you! There was no one that could stop you!"_ The voice said, far more forcefully than before. _"Yet here you are, playing with cardboard boxes!"_

"What's going on?" He asked. "Who are you?"

" _A warrior just like you! A warrior that like you has been…disarmed."_ The voice told him. _"But together, we can be the warriors we were meant to be!"_

Then, Trevor flopped forward onto the floor and everything went dark.

Back at the school, the game was well underway, and really heating up. It was no exaggeration to say that after the early heating up period, it had turned into an epic match that was well on its way to being considered one of the greatest ever played in the school. Both Hayley and Victor were giving everything they had, playing the best game of their lives, with numerous rallies that lasted so long that everyone had long since abandoned any notion of afternoon classes. Occasionally one of them would get a point, but none of them ever managed to pull far enough ahead that the other didn't end up pulling back, forcing the game to the maximum number of sets.

The other thing that happened was truly magical. Over time, the chants started to split, and more and more of the crowd were now cheering for Victor! Before long people were more interested in the game itself than any desire to see one or other player win. Both players were exhausted but at the same time elated to be involved in a true match for the ages.

"Match point Hayley!" Principal Hastings called out in what was thankfully the final game. Victor set up for the serve. He sent it screaming towards the White Ranger, who managed to return it with significantly less than the force she was would have liked. Victor got to it, with a tiny lob of his own that barely went over the net, but still bounced a second time as Hayley's swing missed it. Principal Hastings looked weary. "Deuce…again! Hayley to serve!"

Hayley took the ball and fired it over the net. Victor stumbled across the court, but did manage to get to it. Hayley ran for it, but her legs were like rubber and responded just a little too late. The ball went past her as she let out a frustrated growl.

"Nicely done Victor!" Monty called out as he clapped excitedly. Viera didn't really know who to cheer for with Hayley being her friend, but held onto Monty who looked ready to bounce right onto the court himself. Principal Hastings called them both back to the line.

"Match point Victor!" She answered. Victor took a few deep breaths, trying to compose himself before he threw the ball into the air. He fired it across the court, where Hayley barely got to it. The entire student body was on their feet watching as the rally began. Both Hayley and Victor were on their last legs, and looked barely able to stand much less play as they struggled to keep going.

Hayley fired a shot straight for the back of the court, before running to the net. As Victor returned it, she was hoping to drop it only just on the opposite side of the net before he could get there, but as she got to the ball, Victor launched himself into the air, smacking it back straight past her head, whistling only just past her ear. It went straight to the back of the court, hitting the ground and bouncing into the cage.

"Wait, that was on the line." Someone said.

"It was out!" Someone else called out.

"Wait, hold on!" Principal Hastings said, trying to calm things down. When she could still hear rumblings, she whistled. "QUIET! Mick…what does the footage say?"

Mick was on his computer, carefully checking it frame by frame. Everyone was silent waiting on his word as he looked up. Hayley and Victor both waited for his ruling, at which he looked apologetically to Hayley.

"It was in." He announced. "The point goes to Victor."

Victor dropped his racket and fell to his knees, throwing his hands up in victory as Hastings went to the table to get his trophy. Calvin put his towel around Hayley as all her friends surrounded her.

"I'm so sorry Hayls." He told her. "You were incredible out there."

"Yeah, you were amazing." Sarah told her.

"Yeah, that was the best game I've ever played." She said regretfully, before looking over to where Principal Hastings was approaching Victor. She could see that she was looking a little awkward about it. She couldn't blame her. It was only a few days ago she was accusing him of being a drug dealer and preparing to expel him. Hayley took off the towel. "Excuse me. There's something I need to do."

They watched as she went to Principal Hastings, taking the trophy from her, before approaching Victor. She offered it to him.

"Victor, you played the best game I ever played." She told him. "I'm not happy I lost, but…you made me a better player, and that's what competition is all about. You won this today and you deserve it. Congratulations."

Victor took the trophy from her and offered her a handshake.

"Same time again next year?" He asked her.

"Oh, you can count on it!" She replied, as he took her hand and raised it in the air as the whole school cheered them on. Principal Hastings came up behind both of them.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, give it up for Victor and Hayley!" She called out. The entire student body was only too happy to comply.

Back in the police station, Trevor started to come to, finding himself on the floor. He wasn't sure exactly how long he had been out. He couldn't even tell why he had passed out. As he peeled himself from the floor, he tried to remember what he was doing before he went down. All he could remember was the mysterious voice he had heard. He left the evidence room and looked down the hall to Sterling's office. He didn't know what was going on, but since that was where he had first heard the voice, if he was ever going to get answers, that was where he would find them. He just needed to figure out how to get back into her office.


	35. Tricky Projects

Tuesday morning, and Calvin's mom came into the driveway, ready to start her day of work. While her husband had a good job, she was never the kind of person to like just sitting around doing nothing, and so she had set up kind of a home business in her home driveway. However, her heavy safety boots grime covered overalls and welder's mask made it quickly apparent that this was no cleaning service or clothing repair service...unless she serviced exclusively robots and knights of course. No, Ava was a mechanic. That was where her son got his passion.

Ava was always a tomboy growing up. She had never been one to care about dolls or dresses or princesses, she was always the kid that wanted to build things. When she was in kindergarten, she was always in the sand pit with her bucket and spade. By the time she was in elementary she had graduated to Lego. But when her dad had taken her to a drag race for her tenth birthday, the first time she had heard an engine roar and watched a car being launched from a standing start to over sixty miles an hour in seconds, she had discovered a passion that had dominated the rest of her life.

She didn't have any real ambition to start a "proper business" as many would say. She had begun doing services for her neighbours and when word spread she only started charging people nominal amounts to cover her expenses, but the truth was she would gladly work for free. She was never happier than when she was elbow-deep in oil and engine parts, trying to find out what made that little pinging sound someone reported or getting that little extra gas mileage to give a car another couple of years before the owner needed to replace it.

When she got to the driveway, expecting to get started on the car she had scheduled for her client, she found to her surprise that Calvin was still there. She could see his hood was open and he had his arms inside, working with some of the parts.

"Calvin?" She asked. "I thought you left ages ago."

"Yeah, I just had a little tune up to do." He told his mom. "Nitro's been running a little rough lately. The power seems to drop off pretty sharply for some reason. I was going to try re-working a few things."

"If you don't hurry you're going to be late." Ava warned her son. He just shrugged.

"There's a bus in fifteen minutes that'll get me there if worst comes to the worst." He replied. "I was looking for an engineering project for class...I guess I could try the new part I've been working on see if that helps the power output..."

"You've been working on a new part?" His mom asked with a smile. She loved hearing when Calvin was working on new stuff. She had taught him virtually all he knew growing up.

When he was a kid, she would often let him sit and watch her, explaining what all the pieces of the engine did and how they went together. When he was a little older she would even let him clean parts and put some simple things together for her. His pride and joy was when she let him build Nitro, practically from scratch. That said, Ava had noticed over the last year his skills had gone to new heights. He had taken Nitro from a gas-guzzling, smoke spewing, barely legal clunker to something that wouldn't look out of place in a show room! He was no longer just repairing the problems; he was improving on the initial design and even inventing his own systems. He had actually re-worked the entire fuel intake in a way that cut his gas mileage by almost thirty percent! "Can I see?"

"It's...kind of a work in progress." He told her, pulling scraps of paper out of his various pockets. She had to try not to laugh. Some things never changed. Calvin seemed to be more of a spatial thinker than a paper thinker. He could imagine how things worked in kind o "hologram" that only he could see. It wasn't uncommon to see him staring into space moving his hands around putting together invisible engine parts. Ava did it too, it was one of their shared habits that amused and confused everyone else in equal measure. When it came to writing things down though...he had a habit of just grabbing whatever came to hand than having the organisational skills to have a notebook. Take-away menus, old envelopes, even a used Kleenex all formed part of his plan. She took a look at his plans and mused on them for a moment.

"This is...this is really interesting work." She told him. "You know, maybe your old mom could give you a few pointers..."

"No, thanks mom." Calvin chuckled. "I think I've got this one."

"Oh, it's no trouble; it looks like it'd be fun!" She told him. Calvin just closed up his hood after patching up his work so that he could use the truck. He would finish it later on.

"Thanks, but I really think I've got this." Calvin assured her, getting into Nitro and starting her up. "Besides, Mrs Daniels will be expecting her tune up finished today. I'll catch you when I get home!"

As he pulled out of the driveway, heading for the school, Ava just sighed.

"Yeah, because THAT'LL be as exciting as inventing a whole new part." She muttered. As she was turning back to her work, she noticed that Calvin had forgotten his 'designs' in his hurry to get to school. She was looking between Mrs Daniel's car and the designs, biting her lip nervously.

"She wants a tune-up if she drives her car further than the end of the street. That's a five-minute job." She said as she looked over Calvin's designs. "Hmm...That's interesting...I think...it isn't EXACTLY how he wanted it, but...I think I could make up a concept model for him to have a look at."

Over at the police station, Trevor was still on restricted duties, but he couldn't help but think about Hastings' office, and the mystery of the voice that was now in his head more and more of the time.

He had seen her go in and out of the room, and could see that it was a very simple key lock. It was startlingly low-tech for a woman who headed up one of the world's first trillion dollar tech companies, but being a police station there were video cameras all around. He was perfectly certain the only reason she didn't bother replacing the door to her office with some space-age DNA, Retinal-scan, Finger-print voice operated 007 deal was because she was sure no cop would ever actually want to break into her office. Trevor had walked the hall a couple of times, taking evidence boxes and files from one place to the other passing her door a few times, each time taking a quick glance for the cameras.

He was well aware of how cameras operated, he'd seen security protocols and how they worked long before he became a cop. Cameras had a peripheral vision much like human eyes, which meant they also had blind spots just like human eyes. Unfortunately after a while he figured out that there were enough cameras in the hall that the door especially was covered. There was no way to approach without being seen on at least one.

There was also no way to knock out the cameras. It would look pretty suspicious if he started covering cameras or breaking them, not to mention if he wasn't being fired for attacking the Rangers the last thing he could afford to do was give them an excuse like an open-and-shut case of vandalism of department property. No, he needed to find another way to get a window to get into the office unseen.

He headed into the security room, finding Ricky, one of the kids that operated the department's digital security division munching his way through a bag of Doritos. He rolled his eyes seeing him. He knew the world was becoming increasingly digital, and that surveillance equipment and computers now comprised a much larger part of the job of the department than ever before, but there was a part of him that still felt like a dinosaur as it seemed like as the department became more and more automated, the staff seemed to be aging backwards! Ricky had hair that was a little too long, and very messy, and his uniform was covered in food crumbs. He had energy drinks cans and junk food wrappers littered all around him. He looked more like he belonged in a frat house than a police department! He didn't even notice as Trevor walked up behind him.

"So yes, go and buy this SJW piece of trash if you must! Watch as the libtards ruin comics for all of us!" He said aloud as he typed on the social media site he was on. "X-men was never about oppressed people! It was about people learning to use their superpowers! Keep politics out of comics! Hashtag Comicsgate!"

"You ARE aware X-men was written originally as a DIRECT allegory of the Civil Rights movement, casting Professor Xavier in the role of Martin Luther King right?" Trevor asked. Ricky clamped his hand over his heart as he jumped in fright.

"Jeez, give a guy a heart attack much?" Ricky complained. "Bloody hell Marx, what are you doing in here?"

"Oh, I'm just wondering what a department salary buys in a kid straight out of Cal Tech." Trevor stated. "Apparently a shit ton of garbage and no trash can."

"I don't think you're in much of a position to criticise anyone's work right now Marx." Ricky snorted. "What do you want here?"

"What makes you think...?"

"I've worked here 18 months and this is the first time you've spoken to me." Ricky interrupted him, tapping the monitors. "The only reason I know who you are is these things. So, you've come into my dominion, I'm holding court, what do you want from the king?"

"Really?" Trevor sighed, before shaking his head. "I was wondering if you could do me a favour. I need the cameras down for about ten minutes."

"Really?" Ricky asked him. "Why would you want the cameras down?"

"Do you really care?" Trevor asked.

"I care what it means to you." Ricky said with an arrogant smile, rubbing his fingers together. "What's it worth?"

"How about...your job?" Trevor asked him. Ricky laughed.

"What do you have on me?" Ricky asked.

"Well, apart from the social media usage..."

"You think Captain Raymond gives a shit if I put out a tweet or two on shift?" Ricky snorted. Trevor shoved him aside and pulled up another page that he had active. "Wait, what are you...? HEY!"

"Really?" Trevor asked, looking to the site and then to Ricky in disgust. "Dude, I'm not saying I've never bought an adult magazine or something but that...that's just pathetic!"

"I...I...I was looking it up for...a case!" He stammered out. "They're investigating to make sure none of those models are underage..."

"Yeah, and next you'll be telling me you just read it for the articles." Trevor replied sarcastically. Ricky sighed and turned to another screen.

"There's an anti-virus update I've been meaning to do. It'll put the cameras out for about fifteen minutes while it runs." Ricky told him.

"Give me two minutes to get into position and then start it." Trevor told him, heading for the door. "Oh, and by the way? One of the X-men's most prominent and regular villains was Senator Kelly a senator that was campaigning to make segregation and persecution of mutants legal. It's ALWAYS been political jackass!"

As he left, Ricky just snorted and turned back to his screen.

Meanwhile, over at the school, Sarah, Preston and Brody were all talking over breakfast when Calvin and Hayley arrived. Sara checked her watch.

"Wow, you two are cutting it fine." She commented. "Calvin will only have time for two bowls of cereal instead of the usual three."

"Ha, ha!" Calvin responded sarcastically. Hayley just looked to him witheringly.

"Well, someone was a little caught up in his shop class project and almost ran late." Hayley informed them.

"I was tinkering! I had tons of time!" Calvin protested. "Usual Hayls?"

"Just a banana this morning." She told him. "Thanks to someone I don't have much time."

As Calvin left to get their breakfast, Hayley sat down.

"So, any idea what he's doing?" Preston asked. "Sarah and I are working on the battery for her hoverboard."

"I've been working on it for weeks." Sarah said proudly. "Today I actually got as far as the steps on a single charge with both of us riding."

"That's pretty epic!" Brody said as he ate some yoghurt.

"So what are you working on?" Sarah asked him.

"I don't know, some app or something." He replied.

"Well, what does it do?" Hayley asked him.

"I have no idea." Brody replied with a shrug.

"So you don't know what it is, how it works or what it does?" Preston asked. "How does that work?"

"My partner is Emma." Brody told them. They all groaned.

"That girl you've been giving ninja lessons to?" Sarah asked.

"Yup." Brody answered.

"The programming whiz kid?" Hayley asked.

"Yup."

"So...basically she's doing the project and you stand next to her looking pretty?" Preston asked. Brody smiled.

"What can I say? It's nice when things work out like that." Brody answered.

"Well, Calvin is working on a new engine part." Hayley told them. "And even though I am NOT a mechanic, I am actually working on helping him! I'm writing up the specs and the designs."

"That's good. You don't want him to do all the work do you?" Brody teased her. The others just threw napkins at him.

"So where's Viera?" Hayley asked.

"Oh, she was the odd-one out, so she volunteered to become a three person team with Victor and Monty." Preston told them.

"Wow, there's a shocker." Brody chuckled. "I couldn't possibly think what the attraction is there."

"Don't tease; I think it's kind of sweet!" Sarah said, looking over to where she could see Viera arriving with Victor and Monty, who were carrying some kind of strange device that she presumed, was their project.

"Would you say the same if it was Victor she was crushing on?" Preston asked.

"Ew, God no!" Sarah replied with a shudder. Just then, Calvin came back with two bowls of cereal and Hayley's banana.

"Cal...I was joking when I said you'd have time for two bowls." Sarah told him. "There's only like five minutes until the bell."

"Want a bet?" He asked her, picking up his spoon. The others just stopped and stared as he started to shovel the cereal into his mouth.

"Say Cal, I didn't know you were related to Barry Allen." Sarah commented.

"I'll just be happy if he doesn't swallow the spoon." Hayley replied, patting her boyfriend on the back.

Meanwhile, back in the precinct, Trevor was waiting for the cameras to go down, keeping his eye on the door. He cursed his luck as he saw Grace heading for her door.

"No, no, no, no!" He grumbled. "You've got to be kidding! This is..."

Just then, her cell phone rang. She answered it.

"Sterling." She said. "Are you sure? OK, send it to my...wait, what do you mean in person?"

Trevor looked up as he heard this.

"Why exactly can't you just e-mail it?" She asked. She sighed hearing the voice on the other end. "Fine, I'll meet. Where do you want to...? You're kidding! That's miles away! That'll take all day!"

Trevor got a little smile on his face. It looked like his luck was turning.

"Alright, but you better have something good in that file Scott." She warned him. "I'll be there!"

With that, she hung up and left. Trevor then noticed the lights under the cameras going off and realised now was his time to move. Going to the door to her office, he pulled out some lock picks. Quickly looking up and down the hall to make sure he wasn't likely to be seen, he started to work, quickly opening the door.

"Just like riding a bike." He commented as he went inside. It somehow felt different being in Sterling's office. Before, he had only noticed how neat, how ornate and how intimidating things were, but now she wasn't there, he could take in more of the detail about the room. The desk was still intimidating, in a headmaster's office kind of way, but the rest of the room had a lot more details of the life the woman had lived.

True to form, there were diplomas practically papering a whole wall, interspersed with various newspaper clippings and photographs detailing who she had met and positions she had held.

He smiled a little seeing all her pictures from her time in NASADA. She was a lot younger then, but what was a lot more prominent to him was that she smiled. It was unusual to think of a time where she had hopes and dreams and things that made her happy. One of the most well-known facts about Grace was that she was on the shortlist for the Apollo 11 mission, but ended up missing out on it to Neil Armstrong. It was a testament to how well regarded she was that she was widely considered a strong contender, but even then 1969 was still a very different time and a lot of people just weren't ready to see a woman being the first person to set foot on the moon and represent the nation.

He could hear the voice whispering in his head.

" _You're here; you're here to claim what is rightfully yours."_ It said. Trevor turned towards the curved dagger on the glass case on the wall and went over to it. He still didn't understand what he was hearing, but something about it just felt powerful. _"Yes, you know what to do."_

Trevor grabbed the glass case, but he couldn't open it. He tried lifting it, but the whole thing was attached to the wall firmly. He couldn't see how to detach it. He started to survey it, and found to his surprise the glass was a lot thicker than he initially believed. It looked like it could stop a bullet!

" _Release me!"_

That was easier said than done though. He looked around, finding a keypad underneath the case and realised it was a combination lock. He typed in zeros to find out how many digits it was.

"Eight digits." He sighed as he got the red light. That wasn't good news. There were millions of possible combinations! He couldn't possibly try them all! He started to think, trying to imagine what it might be. He knew people often chose things that were easy to remember for passwords and codes, but that required at least some knowledge of the person.

"Eight digits." He said again, pulling out his phone and checking his internet. He pulled up Grace's Wikipedia page, finding her date of birth. Punching it in, he got another red light.

"It was worth a shot." He muttered, thinking again. He tried another option. It was clear the Apollo mission was important to her from her decor, so he tried the landing date. "21071969."

He cursed loudly as he got another red light. He turned and started to look around the office. If he was going to guess the code, he had to find out a little more about her.

He looked for other prominent dates, things he might look for, but that was pretty difficult for a woman with so many accomplishments. There were so many possible dates. Meeting Presidents, world leaders, Nobel Prize winners, winning a Nobel or two herself! It was becoming impossible to think of just one!

He found a photo he found unusual, one that didn't actually have Grace in it. It looked like some kind of pop star from the 60's. He smiled to imagine Grace as a young woman going to concerts.

"I thought you'd be more of an opera woman." He said, reading the plaque. "Jamie Gilmore, June 14 1945 to August 6 1969?"

It was then he noticed the black ribbon around the frame and an inscription.

"The mark of a true hero is those they save will never know they've been saved." He read aloud. It looked like this wasn't just a dedication from a fan, it felt like she actually knew this man. He saw another picture similarly trimmed a little further down, and looked at it. It was a very large, powerfully built blonde man in the frame, with a stern expression. "Nicolai Chukarin, January 8 1936 to...August 6 1969?"

He looked around and found a third picture. This one showed a man standing in a university, wearing a CND t-shirt. He read the inscription.

"Daniel O'Halloran, May 12 1948 to...August 6 1969?" He asked. "What the hell?"

He checked all three pictures again, and one glaring thing stood out.

"They all died on the same day, August 6 1969." He commented, before checking Grace's Wikipedia page again. "Sterling resigned from NASADA the following day! What the hell happened?"

He went back to the case and typed in the date, 08061969. The case sprang open, allowing him inside. He heard the voice again, this time louder than before.

" _Yes, that's it!"_ The voice stated. _"Reach out, seize your destiny!"_

Trevor reached out, grabbing the dagger, only to feel a massive power surge through him. Then the world faded to black.


	36. Trying To Help

Up on the Warrior Dome, Galvanax was in his private training chamber, putting himself through his paces. While, like many, he did things like cardio and resistance work to keep in shape, as a long-time warrior, he truly did believe there was no greater practice for combat than actual combat. Being the Champion had certain privileges, meaning he could requisition virtually anything he wanted, from stock footage of his upcoming opponents for research, through every kind of training technology available right down to a virtually inexhaustible supply of sparring partners.

He was in this chamber, which had the gravity cranked up to twenty times that of Earth's meaning that everything weighed twenty times what it should. If he could function in this environment then very little on Earth would phase him. The only opponents that could withstand such abuse were robots, of which he had a steady supply fed into the room for him to destroy. His naginata sliced through limbs and smashed through armour as though it was crepe paper. As the room started to power down, he was already surrounded by ruined training robots.

"What? Who dares interrupt my training?" Galvanax demanded as he felt himself returning to his normal weight. Madame Odious came in the door. "This had better be good!"

"Actually, I was just going to tell you that Cosmo is about to introduce the final contestant." She told him. "I thought you might like to do some research…"

"Who is it?" Galvanax asked her.

"Forcefear." She told him. "He was the one…"

"I'll pass." Galvanax told her. "Turn the power back on when you leave."

"But Champ, it seems prudent for you to…"

"I said I'll pass!" Galvanax reiterated. "I am making my preparations for the title bout. Do NOT interrupt me again!"

"Of course, Champ." She sighed. "I will do as you ask."

As she left, she closed the door and turned the device back on. She shook her head in defeat.

"Sorry Champ, but when you stop listening to your manager you become more trouble than you're worth." She stated, before heading for her lab. "Keep that belt warm. You won't be wearing it much longer."

At the High School, it was shop class, and Mick had decided to take the class out into the yard to show off their extra credit projects. Mick's teaching methods were strange, even chaotic to say the least on the surface, but to say he had a knack for getting the best from his students was an understatement on the level of saying Galvanax had a temper problem. Everyone in the class had already finished all of their curriculum work weeks previously, and were now working on extra credit. Even the ones that were having difficulty or had no real interest in the subject had all attained passing grades.

Mick was like a kid at Christmas as he prepared view his students' creations. As much as he loved gadgets and devices and creating them himself, there was nothing more satisfying to him than seeing his students flourish and succeed. He was as fascinated by the thought processes and inspirations his students had for their various devices as he was by the devices themselves. Sure, there was always a temptation to jump in and help them out, or to suggest where they might improve their devices or ideas, but a large part of teaching was to let the kids figure those things out for themselves.

"Well, that new battery certainly creates a longer life span, and if I'm not mistaken, the materials are a lot easier to recycle than a standard battery." Mick said, looking impressed. "Well, there's some room for improvement, but if you keep this up, I'm sure landfills the world over will thank you."

"Not to mention we might actually make it all the way into school on one charge." Preston said with a smile as he put his arm around Sarah. "We actually made it to the bottom of the stairs this morning."

"That's really impressive." Mick stated. "Alright, next up we have Victor, Monty and Viera. So, let's see what you have. What's your class project?"

Victor stepped up, holding a strange device over his shoulder. They had no doubt that Viera and Monty likely did most of the technical work, but Victor was nothing if not a charismatic and confident person as far as public speaking was concerned, making him ideal for the role of presenting their findings. Victor had not only the looks, but also the confidence and presence of a used-car salesman that would likely take him far in a similar field. It was a good choice for the presentation, there were a lot of examples in history of scientists whose work never got public prominence simply because they didn't have the right promotion.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in the spirit of the prospectors of 1849, I aim to make us rich." Victor said aloud. "Does anyone here have any idea how much value in riches we walk right over every single day because it's buried? How much wealth is literally just lying around? Lost coins, jewellery…"

"So, it's a metal detector?" Sarah asked.

"It's even better than that, it's a metal RETRIEVER!" Victor corrected her. "Using specialised magnetic…uh…thingies, and different things, and…stuff…" He stammered, making it clear he had forgotten the presentation he was meant to memorise. "It not only FINDS buried metal, it attracts it and brings it up! This is a metal magnet, which we call, the Mighty Mag!"

"It can find and retrieve ANY kind of metal." Monty chipped in.

"Wow, that's great!" Hayley commented. "If it works, it could find all kinds of things! Buried trash, old waste, things that are causing harm to the earth we don't even know about! Giving this to garbage patrols could really help out the environment."

"Well…yeah, I guess you COULD use it that way." Victor stated. "But we were thinking on using it to find…"

"Hey, aren't there companies around here that lost tons of industrial waste years ago because they claimed they didn't keep records of where they buried it?" Calvin asked.

"Yeah, I remember hearing about that." Brody answered. "We could find those sites and make the companies pay to dispose of their waste responsibly!"

"Yeah…or you know, we could find treasure." Victor reiterated.

"So, it finds AND attracts metal?" Mick asked for clarification. Victor and Monty both smiled and nodded. Mick couldn't help looking around at the fact they were in the middle of a storage yard, filled with car parts! "Maybe we should try this…"

"Oh, it's perfectly safe! Let me try it on…that hubcap!" Victor said, picking out an item at random. "Stand back and be amazed!"

He pointed the device, and turned it on, at which the hubcap started to rattle, and then flew across the yard, attaching itself to the Mega Mag. Everyone gathered around them.

"Wow, that was so cool!" Someone commented. "That hubcap's made of chrome! It shouldn't be attracted by magnets!"

"That was really impressive!" Hayley complimented them. "Great work guys!"

"Yeah, it's really…"

"Uh guys…did you remember to turn that thing off?" Sarah asked. Almost in answer, her bracelets flew straight off her wrist. "HEY!"

"Guys…duck!" Preston called out as pieces started to fly off the shelves. Everyone ducked for cover as Victor was quickly buried under the trash.

"Victor!" Monty wailed, before seeing something else. Viera was clutching at her necklace, her face starting to turn red. "VIERA!"

The Rangers and Mick all looked to where Viera was standing, being pulled against a shelving unit, being strangled by the collar around her neck. The Lyonium collar she had been fitted with when she was deposed was still there, with the Rangers having yet to figure out a way to remove it. Sarah's bracelets, a few watches and suchlike there was no real issue, the clasps and suchlike either opened or were broken, but for Viera, the collar was welded in place, meaning that right now it was strangling her to death.

"VICTOR!" Sarah yelled at him, trying to pull apart the junk, but finding it too strongly held together. "Victor, you have to turn off the Mega Mag!"

"I'm…I'm trying!" He told her. "I can't reach…"

"VICTOR!" Monty yelled. "It's got Viera's necklace! It's strangling her!" Monty yelled at him. "Turn it off!"

They heard a loud crash, following which everything started to fall back. Viera fell to her knees and started coughing furiously as Monty ran over to her. Victor started to dig himself out of the trash.

"Um…well…it has a FEW kinks to work out." He stated. Everyone just glared at him.

"Well, technically it does what it's meant to." Mick conceded. "Let me see it again once you've refined the controls a little. Viera, I'll get you to the nurse…"

"I'll take her." Monty said as he helped her up. "It was our invention that hurt her, I'd like to make sure she's alright."

"OK." Mick conceded as Monty took Viera away to get looked at by the nurse. "Alright, so after that little bit of drama, let's try something a little less…dramatic. Calvin, I take it you and Hayley have been working on something for Nitro?"

"We have!" Calvin told him. "I am working on a new fuel intake system that will increase efficiency by a factor of 400 percent."

"Wow, that sounds really impressive." Mick said with a smile. "Can I take a look?"

"Unfortunately, I'm waiting on a few custom parts I've mail-ordered coming through." Calvin told him. "It operates under some pretty high pressures."

"Oh, so…we can't see it in operation." Mick said, sounding a little disappointed.

"Oh, but I should be able to build it pretty soon!" He told him.

"Well, any chance I can at least take a look at the schematics?" Mick asked. "I kind of need to see something to be able to get an idea of your progress."

"Yeah, Calvin." Victor scoffed. "I could say I built a rocket ship out of toilet roll holders but unless I actually have it, then it's just words."

"I have my designs right…oh…hang on a second…" Calvin said starting to rummage around in his pockets. "Oh shoot! I showed my designs to my mom this morning!"

"So, you don't have the prototype, or designs." Mick surmised. "So, you even have ANYTHING written down? A basic framework?"

"Sorry." Hayley said, sucking her teeth. "I was going to write it up but Calvin's not gone through his sketches with me."

"Come on guys, you're killing me here!" Mick said to them. "You've got to give me something to work with or I can't give you any kind of progress report."

"Look, Mick, I swear I can have my drawings here by tomorrow…" Calvin said as he heard an all too familiar engine. "Is that…Is that Nitro?"

"Calvin, it's just a truck…"

"I'd know Nitro's engine tone anywhere!" Calvin shrieked, making his way towards the gates. "Someone's stealing my truck!"

As he opened the gates though, Nitro was right outside, and the horn sounded. Calvin stood back as Ava drove the truck into the middle of the yard, sounding the horn as she went. She pulled up and shut off the engine, before stepping out.

"Um…Hi!" Mick offered, looking to the woman stepping out of the truck. "Uh…who are you?"

"Oh, sorry." Ava said, lifting up her welder's mask, realising it was blocking him seeing her face. They weren't too familiar, but Ava had been to a few parent teacher meetings. She offered him a hand. "Ava, Ava Maxwell. We met at the PTA meeting a few months ago. Mick isn't it?"

"Oh yeah! We talked about the possible new materials for a catalytic converter!" Mick said, shaking her hand.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Calvin asked her. Ava looked to her son with a bright smile.

"I'm here to help your presentation my little moon pie!" She said, getting a laugh from the others. Calvin started to turn a little red. He really wished his mom hadn't used her pet-name for him in front of his friends. "I saw you left your designs, so I was going to run them over but then I took a little look at them and thought maybe I could help you with them a little."

"Thanks mom, but that really isn't necessary." Calvin told her uneasily. "I'm just waiting on some parts…"

"Oh, there's no need for that, I had some stuff in the garage that I could use!" She told him.

"Uh…mom, I already had a look around the garage." Calvin said. "If there was anything there I could use I'd have asked…"

"Oh nonsense! You just don't know how to re-purpose properly!" She told him. "A little angle grinding here, a little weld there and I put something together."

"Mom, that's really nice and all but I don't think…"

"I've got a sketch here showing what I've done." She told Mick, showing him the design.

"Mom that's really not necessary!" Calvin protested, before looking to the design.

"I also decided to take the liberty of putting together a little prototype." She told them. "I even fitted it and it's ready to go!"

"You made a…wait, what?" Calvin asked. "You…you put it into Nitro?"

"Yes, it's ready to go! I'll just go and turn her over!" Ava said excitedly, bounding over to the truck. Everyone else was having a great time watching how uncomfortable Calvin was at his mother's interference.

"Mom, I can't believe you went and put an untested part in my truck!" Calvin told her. "That thing operates at some pretty high pressures, I was going to stress-test it…"

Ava turned over the engine, at which Nitro roared into life, purring contentedly as she revved it a few times. She looked to her son and smiled.

"You see? Nothing to worry about!" She told him. "What's more, I think I might have actually managed to squeeze a little more performance out of it. It could actually operate at five times efficiency…"

"FIVE times? Mom, that's way too high!" Calvin told her. Although his mom had taught him a lot about engines, virtually everything he knew, his contact with the Ninja Steel had opened up his mechanical and spatial comprehension to new heights and his skills with engines had exploded in the last few months. He was open to concepts and ideas that never occurred to him before.

"Oh, you worry too much moon pie…"

"Mom, I'm serious, you need to turn that off…" Just then, there was a rattle from the engine.

"Oh…oh, that doesn't sound good!" Mick commented.

"And that really doesn't look good either!" Sarah gulped as smoke started billowing from under the hood. Before Ava could turn off the engine, there was a loud bang and the hood flew open hard, before the engine suddenly spluttered to a stall. Calvin and Mick ran to the truck, propping open the hood as Ava got out, seeing them waving away all the smoke.

"It's…it's alright, it's just a little snag…"

"A little snag?" Calvin asked her as his temper flared. "It blew out half the engine! The carburettor, the electrics, the oil pump…all of it's going to have to be replaced!"

"Moon pie, I'm sorry…"

"Sorry isn't going to repair my truck!" Calvin snapped at her. Ava backed away, looking at him a little stunned.

"I'm sorry." She said, her lip beginning to quiver a little as her eyes sparkled. "I was only trying to help."

"MOM! I DON'T WANT YOUR HELP!" Calvin yelled at her. "Why do you always have to jump into the middle of things?"

Ava just gulped and nodded wordlessly as she heard this, before getting her things out of the truck.

"I'm…I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'll…I'll pay for the replacements. I'll see you at home."

With that, she left the yard, heading for the bus home.

Meanwhile, at a truck-stop miles from anywhere of note, Grace Sterling pulled into the parking lot, killing the engine and getting out. Heading inside, she found that there weren't many other customers. A couple of drivers taking a break but most of the place was still largely empty. The waitress saw the new entrant and smiled.

"I'll be with you in a moment." She told her. "Sit wherever you like."

"Actually, I'm looking for someone." She told her.

"Over here!" A voice came from the corner. She turned to the corner, where a man in a dark suit was waving her over. She smiled as she saw him, making her way over. "The burgers aren't bad here."

"I actually gave up red meat about fifteen years ago. It played havoc with my digestion." Grace told him.

"Maybe some fries then?" He asked. "A shake?"

"Just coffee." She answered as the waitress came across. The man just nodded.

"Put it on the tab." He told her. "It's good to see you again Grace. I have to admit I was surprised when you called."

"It's nice to see you again too Jason." She told him. "So, how's the Secret Service?"

"It's not as much fun as it used to be." He said with a shrug. "Then again I guess I never expected things to be the same after my best friend left the Oval Office."

"So how is Zack anyway?" She asked him.

"He's enjoying 'retirement'." He chuckled. "Between speaking engagements and writing books he hasn't had much actual retirement time."

"So, you got the file?" She asked him.

"You never were much for small talk, were you?" Jason asked her. He opened up his brief case, pulling out a flash drive. He put it on the table. "That wasn't easy to get."

"If I couldn't get it myself I'd say so." Grace answered.

"No, you don't get it! I might have had the President's ear during the last administration, but now? I had to call in a hell of a lot of favours." Jason told her. "I even had to play Golf with the Secretary of Defence! Do you have any idea how much I fucking hate golf?"

"I guess there's not enough violence in Golf for your liking, right?" She asked.

"Something like that." Jason said with a laugh. "So, if burgers are out, can you at least stop for a slice of pie with an old friend? This place sells the best pie in thirty miles."

"Would that be because it's the only restaurant in thirty miles?" She asked in response. Jason just nodded.

"That might have something to do with it." He answered. "Two slices of apple pie please, a la mode!"

"Coming right up!" The waitress called back. Jason just looked to Grace.

"So, what's this latest team like?" He asked her. She just shrugged.

"I've not actually met them yet. I've been kept pretty busy keeping the authorities off their case though." She answered.

"At least my team didn't give you that kind of trouble." Jason chuckled.

"It really was a more innocent time." Grace agreed as their pie arrived. She took the flash drive and put it away. "So, have you seen any of the others lately?"


	37. Out of Control

Trevor started to slowly come to, not really sure what had happened. He didn't even really know how much time had passed, all he knew was when he opened his eyes, he was no longer in Grace's office. He was cold, and he felt uncomfortable, looking to the side he saw he was lying next to a car. As his vision started to return to normal, he recognised his surroundings. He was in the parking lot of the police station, but he had no idea how he had gotten there.

Lifting himself off the concrete, he rubbed his arms, which felt ice cold, and his fingers were numb. Not a good sign, it meant he had been lying on the cold concrete for some time at least. He was about to check his watch when he heard some noise a little way off. He shook some cobwebs clear and made his way towards the noise to try and figure out what it was.

He found two kids standing by a car, one that looked really familiar. It took a few moments for him to realise it was his car! What was worse was as he approached, he could see one of them with a tool in his hand, working at the side of the car. He could recognise a Slim Jim a mile away, even as groggy as he was.

"Come on dude, hurry up!" The other kid beckoned him. "Hurry up!"

"Dude, this isn't as easy as it looks, especially on the newer models." The other protested. Trevor couldn't believe the sheer audacity of the whole scene. Two kids were literally trying to break into a car in the middle of a police station parking lot! He let out a cough to bring the kids' attention to the fact he was there. They both turned and stared at him with the look of rabbits in headlights.

"Seriously guys?" Trevor asked. The one that didn't have the Slim Jim was the fastest to respond, taking to heel and running as fast as he could. The other took just a little too long to do anything and so Trevor caught up to him long before he had even started running.

"Come on man, what are you even doing here?" The kid protested.

"The uniform doesn't give it away?" Trevor asked as he pulled out his handcuffs, forcing the kid over the hood and started to cuff his hands behind his back. "You have to either be pretty ballsy, or a special kind of stupid to try and rip off cars in a police station parking lot!"

"Are you kidding? This structure's cut off from the street, no one can see in from the street." The kid explained. "We learned the shift rotations. Once the morning shift comes in pretty much no one comes in or out for like ten hours." Trevor got a little smirk on his face as he paused to think about that.

"You know, it's actually kind of hard to argue that logic." He chuckled. "That's actually strangely clever. Too bad it won't help you once I call your parents."

"Dude, come on, this is the first time I swear!" The kid protested. "I won't do it again, I've learned my lesson just please, let this one slide."

"Yeah, you literally just said you learned the shift patterns of the precinct. That doesn't sound like a one-off score." Trevor answered.

"Come on man, just…weren't you ever a kid?" He asked.

"Yeah, and when I was I didn't rip off cars." Trevor answered. "Now, if you just tell me your name and…"

He moved with incredible speed, swinging around and ducking low, whipping out his night stick and sweeping the legs from under the other kid who was returning to the scene, seemingly to rescue his friend. A steel pipe clattered to the ground as the kid grabbed the back of his head.

"You saw that right? You hit my head on the concrete!" He protested. "I'm calling brutality…"

"Kid, you just tried to stave a cop's skull in with a pipe! If I were you I'd shut the hell up and cut my losses!" Trevor told him, grabbing him and hauling him to his feet. "Now, if the two of you are quite done, we can go and get you checked in."

"Yeah, about that, I'd suggest you let us go!" The one in handcuffs said with a little smirk. Trevor just gave him a disbelieving look.

"Really?" He asked. "What makes you think I'd do that?"

Trevor turned around, seeing another five guys, significantly older approaching him. He just sighed.

"Well, I guess this makes more sense than you two being the brains behind this." Trevor commented. "OK guys, just remember where we are. I've not seen you do anything so if you walk out of here I'll leave it at that."

"What about the kids?" One of the older guys said. Trevor shook his head.

"I DID see them try to break into my car." Trevor told him.

"You're going to let them go pig." One of them said. Trevor just put a hand over his chest.

"Such a hurtful thing to say." He replied sarcastically. "Sorry, but if I see a crime I have to report it."

"Oh, you're going to see a crime alright!" One of them replied, rushing towards him. Trevor held up his nightstick to block the first attack, but was knocked down by the force of the blow, rolling backwards. He saw the guy was almost on top of him as he came to rest, and lashed out, kicking him back. The guy flew backwards almost fifteen feet, slamming into the side of another car, which buckled under the impact. Shattered glass fell to the floor as the guy fell to the ground, rolling around in agony.

"TAKE HIM!" One of them screamed, at which they all rushed him. Trevor covered up as much as he could as kicks rained in on him. Once again, everything faded to black.

Back at the school, the Rangers were in the paint room to get a little bit of peace and quiet during their lunch break. Calvin was taking the time to have a closer look at the damage done to his engine by his mom's attempt to make a working version of his new fuel injection system.

He had pulled practically the whole engine out of Nitro, and disassembled it, trying to figure out what, if anything, he could salvage from the explosion. He was fortunate in some respects that being an off-road vehicle, Nitro was built to withstand the abuse and rigours that the terrain could throw at it. Some lighter vehicles like sports cars, while they looked good, were built more for weight and aesthetics and reacted more like tin foil than armour in the event of an accident or malfunction. Nitro was an adapted design from an old military land rover which, while not exactly recommended by the manufacturer, could survive driving over a landmine. Of course, not many engines were designed with the intent of a part literally exploding like a hand-grenade inside it.

"So, what's it look like?" Hayley asked him.

"Once I get the parts I could fix it up in about a week." Calvin sighed.

"Well, your mom said she'd get you the parts, right?" Hayley asked him. "It's not the end of the world."

"Hayley, look at this mess!" Calvin stated. "This oil filter, it's shredded. This intake, blown out. This distributer cap was part of the original engine. It's survived practically everything I've thrown at it and mom's turned it into shrapnel in one afternoon."

"It was an honest mistake." Sarah reassured him. "I know it's a miracle I have a full complement of fingers the number of times something I've made blew up."

"Yeah, an honest mistake she made. UGH!" Calvin groaned. "She should have left it alone!"

"Yeah, I didn't want to say anything earlier, but...don't you think you might have been a little hard on your mom?" Brody asked. Calvin just gave him a withering look and panned his hand over the engine parts.

"You've seen all of this right?" Calvin asked. "She just turned years of work into the world's worst jigsaw puzzle in a matter of minutes."

"Yeah, but it's not like she meant to." Preston chipped in. "I mean, she was only trying to help."

"Did I ask for her help?" Calvin snapped in response. "God, why can't mom just butt out and leave things alone?"

"Wow, OK, sorry for breathing." Preston said sarcastically. "I'll just go retrieve my head."

"Sorry Preston, I'm not mad at you." Calvin sighed. Just then, an alarm sounded. Mick ran to the computers and checked on the scanners.

"I've got a whole lot of Buzz Cams descending on the Industrial District." Mick told them.

"Great." Calvin replied. "Because right now, I really feel like punching stuff!"

In the nurse's office, the nurse was checking on Viera, taking a look at her throat. She tutted a little as she saw the markings from where her collar had been wrenched against her throat by the powerful magnet in the Mega Mag.

"Well, it looks like it's just bruising, but it could have been a lot worse." The nurse told her. "I thought you kids were taught to remove jewellery and stuff like that before you started using tools and things."

"Uh…"

"Well, technically we're only meant to remove things that can interfere with an experiment or a machine." Monty chipped in. "You know, dangly earrings, pendants, watches, rings, stuff like that."

"Well, maybe it'd be a good idea to remove anything metal before you turn that thing on again." The nurse suggested. "You're lucky you didn't get strangled to death! Do you have any idea how many kids each year…?"

"I'll try to be more careful in future." Viera interrupted her. The nurse just sighed.

"Well, take a moment to make sure you've got your breath back then head back to class." She grumbled. "And next time, value your safety over function alright?"

As she left, Monty sat with Viera, holding her hand. He looked to her regretfully.

"I…I'm really sorry about what happened." He told her. "I didn't think you were in the path of the magnetic waves."

"I wasn't at first." She told him.

"I just…I really hate to think that my invention hurt you." He told her.

"It wasn't that, it was this stupid thing." Viera told him, gesturing to the collar. "You couldn't help it if the magnet attracted it."

"I'm just glad it's not damaged." He told her. She just looked at him a little curiously. "Well, it obviously means a lot to you."

"I don't understand." She replied.

"Well, I can't remember a time since you came back you weren't wearing it." Monty told her. "I was…I actually thought…maybe a boyfriend had given it to you."

"No, it's nothing like that." She muttered. She couldn't tell him the truth behind it, that the collar was a restraint, welded in place when she was deposed by the warlord that had taken her prisoner. It was as much a humiliation as it was a way of keeping her as a slave. The Rangers so far hadn't found a way to remove it, and so far, the only solution they had to keep from arousing suspicion was to add a lion's head charm to make it look like a piece of decorative jewellery. "And if it wasn't trying to rip my head off, I'd have been more than happy if your device had broken it."

"Really?" He asked her. "Why?"

"I…I can't really say." She told him. He squeezed her hand gently.

"Viera, we're friends. You know you can tell me anything right?" He asked her.

"Really?" She asked him. He nodded his head.

"Really." He replied. Viera looked into his eyes, reaching out for his face. As they started to draw closer together, the nurse returned to the room.

"Alright, you should be fine now." She stated. "Back to class."

Viera got up off the table, gathering her things and leaving the room in a hurry. Monty just sighed and gathered his things, before following her.

Back at the police precinct, there was a lot of activity in the parking lot. Someone had headed to their car, looking to go out for lunch only to find a scene of destruction that warranted a crime scene to be set up. One of the detectives arrived with a cup of coffee, looking around at the scene.

"You know, I think this is the first time in thirty-four years on the job I HAVEN'T had to wait for the CSI team." He commented, seeing the technicians in paper suits working over the evidence. "I guess when the crime scene is underneath the building there's no excuse for them to take the scenic route."

"I wouldn't make light of it if I were you." One of the on-scene officers told him. "You should have seen what this place looked like ten minutes ago."

"Why, what happened ten minutes ago?" The detective asked.

"The perps were taken to the hospital." A CSI informed him. "No fatalities…which is a God-damned miracle. I'd say it'll be weeks, maybe months before any of them will be fit to be interviewed."

"Jesus, was it really that bad?" The detective asked.

"Three of them will be eating their meals through a tube for the foreseeable future, one of them was practically folded in half!" He answered. "He'll be lucky if he ever walks again!"

"Anything on the cameras?" The detective asked.

"On this department's budget?" The on-scene officer scoffed. "The cameras down here haven't worked since 2002."

"They only care about the cameras up in the offices where the important people work." The CSI confirmed.

"Any idea what this was about?" The detective asked.

"We found this near one of the perps." The CSI stated, holding up a Slim Jim. "That's why we're referring them to perps and not victims. I'd say they were trying to rip off some of the vehicles and were interrupted."

"Ripping off cops' cars in the police station parking lot? That's ballsy!" The officer replied.

"Who the hell could have done this?" The detective asked.

"I'd be more inclined to the question WHAT could have done this." The CSI replied. He gestured to a large hole in a pillar. "Whatever it was, these guys are lucky to be alive. If it runs into anyone else, we might be cleaning up what's left of them!"

In another part of the city, Trevor started to stir and come to, a familiar scent coming to him. As his eyes opened and his vision came into focus, he saw his wife looking down on him, smiling.

"Hard day?" She asked him.

"Um…yeah…I guess you could say that." Trevor replied, not really sure how to answer. He didn't really know what kind of day it was. He had lost most of it in what could only be termed as blackouts. At least this time he wasn't lying on concrete, this time he was lying on his couch back at home. It was a significantly more comfortable way to wake up than his previous awakening. He rubbed his eyes and his temples as he tried to make sense of it all. The last thing he remembered was being attacked in the parking garage, he was fully expecting to wake up in the infirmary, or maybe the hospital. Yet here he was, waking up on his couch with absolutely no idea how he had gotten home. A thought came to him and he started to check himself for injuries, but found to his surprise he didn't have a scratch on him. He didn't even have any red marks as he'd expect from a beating.

"Trevor, are you alright?" His wife asked him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He replied, more because he didn't want to worry her than anything else. He knew she was concerned about the inherent dangers in his job without telling her that he was missing some time from his memory and the last thing he did remember was several men kicking him on the ground.

"It's just…you're acting very strangely." She said, looking a little concerned.

"I'm just tired." He assured her. "Spending a whole shift staring at boxes is surprisingly tiring."

"Well, I'm sure a couple more weeks keeping your head down and you'll be back on the streets where you belong." She answered. "Tell you what, Hayley's going to Calvin's place tonight. How about you go for a shower and get changed and I'll call that Thai place you like."

Trevor made his way up to the bathroom, where he removed his uniform, putting it in the laundry hamper and hanging his belt up on the towel rack. He started to run the shower to get it up to temperature as he tried in vain to remember what had happened to him.

He got a flash of being knocked to the ground, he could even remember the first hits coming in, but after that, there were only flashing images, he could remember lashing out, fighting back to try and defend himself. He could hear screams, and he could feel palpable terror, but it wasn't from him.

He got into the shower and started to wash himself, unable to make sense of any of it. As he started to clean himself off, he thought he saw something reflected in the glass. He could see what looked like a helmet, black and silver, with prominent green accents. He had to do a double-take, only to see his own reflection staring back at him.

" _They deserved it."_ The voice said, returning to him once more. _"They'd have done the same to you if they could."_

"What…what's going on?" Trevor asked.

" _You know."_ The voice replied.

"This is insane." Trevor whispered. "This isn't happening. There's no one else here, I'm imagining it all."

" _Were you imagining what you saw in Afghanistan?"_ The voice asked him. Trevor felt a chill run through him.

"Who are you?" Trevor asked. "What do you know about…?"

" _I know everything!"_ The voice said. _"I've seen inside your mind. That's why I know how far you're willing to go to get the justice I seek."_

"I'm losing my mind." Trevor stated. "I have to be…"

" _You're not losing anything."_ The voice told him. Trevor thought he saw the green helmet once more, and with a yell, tried to back away, only to slip and fall in the shower.

"Trevor!" His wife called out. "Trevor, are you alright?"

He looked back to the glass, now only seeing his own reflection.

"It's fine." He called back, his heart racing, struggling to get his breath as he found the voice once again disappearing. "I just slipped."

"That's why we have a bath mat!" She called back. "I've called the Thai place; the food will be here in half an hour. Try not to break your neck in the meantime!"

Trevor just nodded and got back to his feet, getting out of the shower. His neck was the least of his worries.


	38. Old Danger New Threat

Over at the Maxwell House, Ava was sitting in her garage, absent-mindedly playing with some parts and some tools. She had a glum look on her face, and was completely oblivious to the world around her. She had gone home after the disaster at the school, but when she got there, instead of going back to work, all she could do was sit and think about what had happened.

Ava had always been a keen mechanic. It was just always so fascinating to her to imagine how things worked and to find new ways to fix and improve things. She had started out with simple kits her dad brought her home from the toy store, but pretty soon none of those were challenging enough for her and he started bringing home appliances and engine parts for her to look at. It was an obsession that was so strong that even in adulthood she'd turned it into a "business", as much as what she rand could be called such. The truth was she just did some repairs for friends and neighbours in her garage when they didn't have the money to go to a real garage. Her husband made enough as a filing clerk for one of the Tien offices that she didn't really need the money and often charged barely more than the cost of the parts when all was said and done. It was more of a glorified hobby, but it was still something she loved and took great pride in.

She loved that she and Calvin shared their love of engines. While his dad was always taking Calvin to play catch or teaching him how football was played or suchlike, it was nice to know that there was one thing that she and Calvin shared that was just theirs. While Dave was always happy to express an interest in what they were doing and bring them new parts, the fact was he didn't know the difference between a Jackson head screwdriver and a Philips head screwdriver and didn't really care to learn either. It was one thing that she loved having with her son.

Seeing his designs, seeing his thoughts behind the new engine part, she was just as excited as him to see it become a reality. If it worked, it would greatly improve the fuel economy of the engine. With similar systems in common use, it could greatly reduce the pressure on the average family and their budget. The economy in their country, for a long time had pivoted largely on oil and its products. Families would be in dire straits if the cost of petrol ventured towards four or even five dollars a gallon because for many their cars were vital to how they lived. Of course, if those same families only had to fill their tank once every month or even once every couple of months, all of a sudden that five dollars a gallon would be a lot less of a strain on the average family.

"Ava?" She heard someone asking. She turned to see one of her neighbours, Mrs Fletcher, standing in the driveway. Ava just looked at her blankly. "I was here about my car?"

"Oh…oh…right the um…the spark plugs." Ava said, suddenly remembering that she had taken Mrs Fletcher's car for a simple repair. Replacing a set of spark plugs was so simple she had taught Calvin to do it when he was only ten years old, but that didn't mean to say that everyone knew how to do it. "I'm sorry, I'm just going to level with you, I completely forgot to buy a new set."

"Ava…"

"I'm sorry, I had to run an errand to the school and I meant to stop in at the store and buy some on the way home…" She started to explain, before shaking her head. "I'll get them tomorrow. No charge."

"I was really hoping you'd finish today…"

"I know, and I'm sorry it's just…something came up." Ava told her. She didn't really want to go into detail about what had happened, but she didn't believe in lying to customers or sugar-coating it when she wasn't able to do the job, she had promised them she would do. After blowing out most of Calvin's engine, after hearing her son screaming at her for destroying his car, she had completely forgotten about the spark plugs. "It'll be done tomorrow, I promise. No charge."

"Well, alright." Mrs Fletcher answered. "Is…is everything alright Ava? You don't seem like yourself."

"I'd really rather not discuss it." Ava answered. "I'll have your car ready tomorrow."

"Well, as long as you're sure." She answered.

As Mrs Fletcher walked away, Ava turned back to the parts on her table. She always knew that using parts that weren't designed for the purpose carried an inherent risk. Calvin had told her he had ordered specialised parts from a factory but she was sure that with a little work some of the parts she already had would work. Sure, the whole rig ran at a much higher pressure than normal, but it wasn't the first-time parts had been re-purposed successfully.

Realising she wasn't going to get anything else of value done today, she went to her garage door and pulled it shut, before heading into the house to get cleaned up.

The Rangers arrived at the Industrial District, finding a monster chasing away all the workers. He wasn't really doing much, he just seemed to be running around running off anyone in the area that worked in the many factories and warehouses. They thought by now they had seen just about every form of monster they could possibly have seen, but this one looked truly bizarre even to them. It was kind of a white creature, with what looked like yellow and black striped industrial safety markings on his hands and lower legs. There was a huge, four-barrelled artillery gun mounted on its back, but as it turned to face them, it had kind of soft, rounded, almost friendly looking features.

"Is that it?" Calvin asked. "THAT'S the last monster we have to face before Galvanax?"

"Is it just me or does he actually look strangely kind of cute?" Hayley said, pondering the creature in front of her. "It kind of reminds me of one of those boglin toys I had as a kid."

"You are noticing the howitzer strapped to his back, right?" Preston asked her in response.

"Rangers! Ready for defeat?" The monster asked them.

"We're always ready!" Brody called out. The others just stared at him.

"Uh…that didn't sound how I think you wanted it to." Levi told his brother. Brody just shrugged.

"I'm sorry, I just…blanked!" He conceded. "I mean it is kind of hard to take this thing seriously!"

"Again, am I the only one noticing the howitzer?" Preston responded.

"Well, let's get this over with quickly. I still have an engine to repair." Calvin stated. "NINJA SPIN!"

As the Rangers morphed, an army of kudabots and basherbots came out to back up the monster. Calvin launched himself into the air, locking in his element star.

"Ninja Steel Strike, FINAL ATTACK!" He called out. He believed he had caught the monster completely flat-footed, it didn't make a move to dodge or even try to block as he brought his double-handed overhead strike down. However, as he landed, he found the blade stopping dead. It was like he had hit solid granite! He looked to the monster and it just stared back at him, hardly even fazed in the slightest.

"Are you done?" It asked. "MY TURN!"

The monster hit Calvin, and it felt like he'd been run over by a train! He flew backwards, smashing into a factory wall, which cracked under the force of the blow, and crumpled to the ground in a heap.

"Aw man, what gives?" Calvin coughed as he grabbed his ribs. "Isn't this usually the part where you blow up?"

"Sorry to disappoint Yellow Ranger, but you'll find that I'm tougher than I look, even without my special shield!" He taunted him, leaning over and levelling his cannon at him. "Now, how about I show you why I'm called Forcefear?"

"Calvin, watch out!" Levi yelled as he sprinted, snatching Calvin out of the way just as Forcefear opened fire, destroying a massive section of the factory. Levi just gulped. "Aw man, that was WAY too close!"

"I don't think this guy knows this is only a preview. I think he's here for the main event!" Hayley commented, slicing down some kudabots as she went.

"You know what? He doesn't quite look so cute anymore!" Sarah grumbled as she and Hayley blasted some kudabots with their ninja blasters.

Trevor had just finished having his lunch and was about to head back to the precinct when his phone rang. He saw it was one of the guys from the precinct. He answered it.

"Marx here." He answered.

"Marx, where the hell are you? I was looking all over the precinct for you!" The other cop stated.

"I'm not at the precinct. I went home for lunch." Trevor told him.

"Home? How the heck did you get there?" He answered.

"That's…um…" Trevor stammered, uncertain how to answer. Even he didn't know how he got home.

"Never mind, I thought you'd want to know, the Rangers have been sighted at the Industrial District." He told Trevor. "We're a little lighter on people but we've got a unit on their way now."

"I don't know…"

"Come on Marx, you started all of this! Don't you want to see it end?" The other cop asked. "If you're worried about Sterling, I've got it on good authority she cleared her schedule for the rest of the day."

"Sterling's not around?" Trevor asked.

"By the time she's back, we could have this wrapped up!" The other cop told him. "Come on!"

" _The time is right."_ Trevor heard the voice again. _"Of course, if you're worried about power…"_

Trevor watched as some armour appeared from nowhere and started to form a silver and black gauntlet around his hand. He could already feel the power coursing through him.

"I'll make my own way." Trevor told him. "Tell the guys I've got something I think might turn things in our favour!"

Back at the site of the battle, the Rangers were finding out how deceptive Forcefear's appearance really was. They had now finished with his backup and could concentrate all their attention on him, however they were finding that their attacks were having startlingly little effect. Preston hopped away from him as a flip-kick rebounded off his head without even stunning him.

"Man, that guy has a hard head!" Preston complained. Levi spun away from him with his Rockstorm Blaster smoking.

"I know what you mean, this thing nearly jumped out of my hand! It's like hitting concrete!" He added.

"Let's do this together!" Sarah called out as she and Hayley leapt at him, hitting him repeatedly with their swords. He punted both of them backwards with a shockwave attack.

"Two of you isn't going to be enough." He taunted them.

"Alright, time to bring out the big guns! Lion Fire Armour!" Brody called out as he powered up into his armoured mode. "Lion Fire Blasts!"

Forcefear waved his hands in front of him, at which a glowing purple wall appeared before him. The Rangers all watched as one of Brody's strongest attacks simply bounced off without any effect at all. Forcefear just laughed at them.

"He has some kind of forcefield wall!" Sarah called out.

"He stood up to the Lion Fire Armour like it was nothing!" Preston gulped.

"That's right, you can't attack me, but I can attack you!" Forcefear said, leaning forward so his howitzer was levelled their way. The Rangers were all blasted back by a powerful attack that sent them all flying high into the air, before crashing to the ground hard.

"Well, it looks like he can dish it out AND he can take it!" Preston muttered. "Can this get any worse?"

"Preston, why did you have to ask that?" Levi asked as he saw a couple of SWAT vans rolling into the area, and the cops dismounting.

"Great, so if the monster doesn't finish us, we have them to deal with!" Hayley stated. "Think it would help if I tell them my step-dad is a cop?"

"They'd probably just think you're lying." Brody said.

"Guys, he's powering up for another blast." Calvin stated, pointing to him.

"Say goodbye Rangers!" Forcefear said as he prepared for the blast. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll dedicate my title match to…"

He paused and looked upwards as the sky started to cloud over and turned dark. The SWAT unit did likewise. The Rangers all started to get to their feet, staring up at the sky.

"That isn't normal is it?" Levi asked.

"Thunder?" Preston asked. "That…wasn't what the weather channel predicted this morning."

"I think we can safely rule out this being a natural phenomenon." Sarah said as flashes of bright green lightning arced through the clouds. "What are you doing?"

"ME?" Forcefear asked. "I thought you were doing this!"

Just then, there was a massive bolt of green lightning which fell to the ground, forcing everyone to look away. As they all turned back though, there was a figure standing right where the lightning had struck. He was wearing black and silver armour, broken up only with bright green accents across the chest and shoulders. His visor was also trimmed with a pointed, almost demonic looking green pattern. The new arrival just stood, staring at them all.

"Uh…who exactly is that?" Preston asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Brody replied honestly.

"I guess he…KIND of looks like a Ranger." Calvin said uneasily, and with a sort of forced hope in his tone. "Think he's here to help?"

"I don't know, he doesn't look too friendly." Sarah replied.

"I don't know who you are, but I'm in the middle of something!" Forcefear told the Stranger. "Now, where was I? Oh, right. I was destroying the RAAAAAGHHH!"

The Rangers watched as the stranger pulled out a curved, green dagger and stabbed Forcefear in the back. Sparks flew as he fell to the ground.

"You got lucky this time Rangers!" He screamed. "I don't care if there's six or seven of you! When I get back, I'll destroy you all!"

With that, he teleported away. The Rangers all looked to the new arrival.

"I don't know who you are, but that was pretty amazing!" Brody complimented him.

"Brody, those SWAT guys are starting to move in." Levi reminded him. "Maybe we should move this to somewhere less crowded?"

"Yeah, we're having a few issues with cops right now." Brody told the stranger. "Come with us and we can…"

The Rangers all watched as the stranger punched Brody hard in the gut, doubling him up, before hitting him with a hard kick to the side of the face. Levi and Calvin stepped up first, placing themselves between Brody and the stranger.

"I don't care who you are, no one treats our friends like that!" Levi called out as they rushed to the attack.

Meanwhile, in a hotel room outside of town, Grace Sterling was settling in for the night. She had met Jason quite some way from Summer Cove, and so she had opted to stay the night at a hotel.

She kept the flash drive close. Although she had a laptop with her, she somehow doubted that the hotel wireless connection would be terribly secure. She still had no idea what was on the file, but given the fact she had been unable to access it herself gave her some impression of the seriousness of the information on Trevor's service in Afghanistan. Jason had to get the clearance directly from the Secretary of Defence, whose security clearance was second only to that of the President. It wasn't often that Grace had to beg for anything from the Government. She'd sat in on meetings that most didn't even know ever took place without anyone batting an eyelid.

"Why does no hotel ever have a good selection of TV channels?" She grumbled as she stared at the screen, flipping through all the channels. There was a knock on the door.

"Room service!"

"I'll be right there." Grace answered. She did a habitual quick scan of the room to make sure she hadn't left anything sensitive out in the open before heading over to the door to answer it. There was a kid outside with an iPhone in one hand, and her tray in the other.

"One cheese omelette, one glass of shiraz, are you paying now or signing to the room?" He asked without even looking at her. Grace just signed the check.

"Just put it on the desk." She told him. The kid didn't look at her, and seemed a little put out as he had to bring the tray inside. He was still glued to his phone.

"Sorry to inconvenience you." She said sarcastically. "I wouldn't want to interrupt your Minecraft time."

"Minecraft? Who the hell plays that anymore?" He asked her. "I'm watching the news."

"News?" She asked.

"Yeah, the latest Ranger battle! Some new guy just showed up!" He told her. "It's one hell of a show!"

"I'm sure it is kid." She replied.

"Yeah, this new Green Ranger guy is something else!" He replied. "He just showed up out of nowhere and now he's kicking everyone's ass! Even the Rangers!"

Grace felt her blood run cold as he said this.

"Did you say…green?" She asked.

"Well, as much as you can say it's green." He said with a shrug. "I mean most of his armour is black and silver…"

"OK, um…thanks for that." Grace said, shoving some money into the kid's hand and practically throwing him out of the room. He didn't seem to object too much when he realised that in her haste to get him out, she had given him a twenty by mistake.

Grace went to the television and started searching frantically for one with a feed from Summer Cove. She finally found one and she clutched at her chest as she saw the figure from her past on the screen, the one she prayed she'd never see again.

"Oh God, no!" She gasped. "Psycho Green!"


	39. Psycho Green

Up on the Warrior Dome, Cosmo was uncharacteristically at a loss for words as he watched the battle unfolding down on Earth. He had sent in Forcefear, a monster that despite powerful defences had yet to win himself any battles of real distinction, planning to feed him to the Rangers to prepare the season finale for Galvanax. He didn't expect anyone else to show up, he most certainly didn't expect one that had almost destroyed Forcefear with dismissive ease and was currently applying that same savagery to the Rangers.

It wasn't even meant to be a real battle. It was just a preview. He had every intention of pulling Forcefear out of the fight to save the battle for the normal broadcast time. Wrench came running onto the stage, hobbling as he still had one spare kudabot leg to replace the one he was still waiting on Cosmo getting finished.

"Cosmo, Forcefear just arrived at the infirmary." He rushed out. "He's in a bad way, but they think they should be able to…"

"Yes, yes, whatever! Who in the universe is THAT?" Cosmo asked. Wrench just looked to the screen, just in time to see the new warrior taking Preston to task. The Blue Ranger didn't look like he was getting up any time within the next few hours as he rag-dolled to the ground after the new monster smashed him right in the face with an elbow that the helmet barely protected him from.

"I…I…don't know." Wrench said honestly. Although he had been around much longer than Cosmo, having served on Sledge's ship for well over 65,000,000 years, much of that time had been spent drifting in the far reaches of space or limping back towards the Milky Way on an assortment of rides hitched on asteroids and parts they could take from ships unfortunate enough to cross their path. "I've never seen him before! I'm not even certain it's a 'him'."

"I want this footage Wrench." Cosmo told him. "I want this footage run through every search, every database, legal and illegal! I want to know who this is and I want him on my finale!"

"You…you want WHAT?" Wrench shrieked.

"Imagine it Wrench, everyone's been waiting for a battle between the Rangers and this stranger all season. While it's building beautifully people already have expectations." Cosmo said with an evil smirk. "But, my dear boy, nothing rewards our loyal viewers more than giving them something they've never seen before!"

A little way off, Odious was listening. She just nodded.

"Now this is an interesting development." She commented. "While they're chasing this new challenger, no one will be paying attention to me."

Meanwhile, down in the Industrial District, the Rangers were struggling against their new enemy. They had no idea who it was, none of them had ever seen anything like it. Sarah felt her heart run cold as she watched Preston hit the ground and stop moving. He glowed for a second, but then his suit disappeared, leaving the Blue Ranger face-down on the ground.

She ran to his side, crouching over him protectively. He was breathing, but it looked like a close thing. He definitely wasn't getting back up any time soon.

"We can't let up!" Brody called out as he and Levi brought forth their weapons, rushing him.

Trevor instinctively brought his forearms up, blocking the incoming attacks as he could, and yet to his astonishment, the blows felt like little more than standard punches. The armour was protecting him from attacks he had seen fell monsters on news reels all year! He had his own training, but that was becoming exhausted quickly by what the Rangers could do. It seemed whoever the Rangers were, they had very impressive combat skills, rivalling that of the units he trained with when he served.

That was when something happened, his body started reacting in ways he didn't recall ever being trained. He was performing moves that he didn't even know he could! The power in his moves was unmatched, unlike anything he had ever felt in his life! He could already see one of the Rangers was down, and the way he felt right now, he was starting to wonder if it wouldn't be long before the others were joining him.

The curved green dagger appeared in his hand, giving him another tool at his disposal in his battle with the Red and Gold Rangers. He hooked Brody's sword with his dagger, ripping it from his hand, before spinning around with a harsh attack that send him flying. The Lion Fire Armour disappeared, likely saving Brody's life because when he hit the ground, even though he was conscious and still morphed, he could tell he was on his last legs.

"BRODY!" Levi yelled, his instincts kicking in as he threw himself at his brother's attacker. The stranger in green said something back, but it was garbled, nonsensical. Levi didn't claim to be a linguist, but having been on tour he had been to a lot of places and heard a lot of dialects. What he heard from the stranger in green didn't sound like any language he had ever heard. The monster spun around with a backfist that hit him so hard he was certain his helmet was about to shatter, and quickly joined his brother on the ground.

"This guy's a beast!" Calvin gulped. "Is anyone else wishing that he and Galvanax could just go off somewhere and destroy each other?"

"I'm not sure that would help much." Sarah said in a panic, keeping her eye on Preston as she stood over him in a guard. "It kind of feels like whichever one of them won, we'd still be screwed!"

"We can't think like that, not yet!" Hayley rushed out. "We're still breathing so we've still got a chance!"

Trevor could see the Rangers standing before him, and could just feel in his bones that they were on their final stand. He felt energy powering up within him and swung the dagger in a wide arc. A bright green energy wave hit them, knocking them all to the ground and destroying much of the area behind them. This new power, it was far greater than he could ever have imagined, he had completely overdone what he was intending. He had been around weapons long enough to know of the dangers of over penetration. It wasn't the first time he'd responded to a shooting only to find out that the shot came from outside the apartment where the victim was. People buying powerful weapons like a Colt Python because of the intimidation factor without realising it was so powerful that when fired, it would go through the wall of an apartment with little effort putting everyone on the opposite side in danger. The gun owner, of course, was still legally liable for any bullet he fired even if he didn't realise it wouldn't stop inside his own apartment.

He regretted the damage he'd caused, but seeing the Rangers struggling, he started to advance. This was it! This was what he was hoping for!

"This doesn't have to end this way!" He called out. "Throw down your weapons and turn yourselves over to the authorities!"

Brody, Levi and Sarah though didn't hear that. All they heard was the same garbled nonsense.

"What's he saying?" Brody asked. "Hayley?"

"Uh…I don't think she's going to be hearing much of anything for a while!" Sarah said regretfully, looking to her best friend. "She's out of it!"

"We have to get the hell out of here!" Levi told him.

"And leave this guy running around?" Brody asked. "We can't…"

"We also can't do much if we're dead!" Sarah yelled back. Brody's mind raced, trying to think of what to do. They had a responsibility to the city, one that was more important than their own lives. Every one of them was willing to lay down their lives if they needed to. Of course, dying in senseless battle was not really the best strategy either. Running away and coming back when they had a better grasp of the situation, perhaps knowing who in the hell they were even fighting was sound strategy even if it did mean sacrificing some gains. For the first time, Brody was blanking hard.

A little distance away, the SWAT unit were watching on in amazement.

"Did you see what that guy just did?" One of them asked. "This is exactly what Marx was talking about! The Rangers' battles wreck everything around them!"

"Well what do you propose we do about it?" Another asked.

"Well, that thing looks kind of like a Ranger don't you think?" One of them asked, cocking his assault rifle. "I say we treat him like one!"

"Alright, you heard him! LIGHT EM UP!" Another called out. With that, they all opened fire.

Trevor was advancing on the Rangers when he felt himself getting hit from behind. The armour stopped them, but it wasn't enough to stop them giving him pause. He turned to see his own colleagues firing on him! The other Rangers kept their heads down as rounds went off all around them.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Trevor screamed at his colleagues. "I'm on YOUR side! I've taken the Rangers down!"

Unfortunately no one could understand him. All they could hear was the same garbled speech that none of them recognised. One of them fired a grenade launcher which hit him square in the chest, detonating and sending Trevor tumbling through the air. The armour seemed to go into autopilot, reacting completely on its own. He sent out a pulse that sent cops flying and overturned a couple of the trucks. Seeing what he had done, Trevor was horrified. The suit gave him power, but clearly he didn't fully understand or have control of that power. He crouched down, before launching himself into the air, where he turned into a green lightning bolt and disappeared into the clouds. The Rangers and the cops all watched him go.

"Well, that was…unexpected." Sarah stated. "He kind of had us down and out!"

"Yeah, where I come from, we have a little saying about gift horses." Levi replied. Brody just nodded his head. With that, he summoned up a cloud of smoke. By the time it dissipated, the Rangers were gone.

Up on the Warrior Dome, Cosmo just sat with his mouth hanging wide open. He looked to Wrench and whispered.

"I don't care what it costs." He told him. "I want that man found and I want him on this show one way or another!"

Over at the Maxwell House, Dave Maxwell, Calvin's dad, stopped by the house. He had some time during his lunch break and when he could, he liked to drop in on Ava. He was a bit of a sappy guy by his own admission, he wasn't just in love with his wife, he was in awe of her. He had been ever since they met in college. While so many of his colleagues at the office always joked about liking the time to get away from their wives and families, for Dave if he could have spent all day every day with them, he would.

He had stopped by a supermarket for some sushi, which he knew she loved, and came into the driveway. He was a little surprised that the garage door was shut. Normally it would be open to let Ava get natural light into the garage. He couldn't hear tools either, which he thought was a bit odd. He just shrugged, figuring Ava must have finished her work on Mrs Fletcher's car a little earlier than she expected.

"Honey, I'm home!" He called out, with a cheesy smile. He loved things like that, even though everyone always ripped on him for how cliché he was. He was the kind of guy that still used to like leaving his wife notes. Buying flowers, remembering anniversaries that even she forgot about years ago like their first date. He didn't get an answer though. As he made his way to the living room, he found Ava on the couch. She sat bolt upright as he walked in, looking away from him and wiping her face.

"Oh, Dave, I'm sorry…I didn't hear you come in." She rushed out. "I…I must have dozed off."

"Well, I'm sorry I woke you, I just thought you might like a little lunch." He told her. He noticed that she wasn't looking at him.

"I'm sorry, I was just…I should go and wash up." She told him. Dave could sense something was wrong. Ava was rarely unable to face someone. Whether it was facing down some of the guys that used to make fun of her for liking engines up until she schooled them on things they couldn't hope to understand about them or walking into a room and befriending someone within seconds of meeting them.

"Ava, is everything alright?" He asked her.

"It's nothing it's just…" She tried to find something to say. "I forgot to go to the store and get spark plugs. It just completely went out of my head."

"Is that all?" He asked. He thought about it for a second. "Wait, did Mrs Fletcher say something to you about it?"

"Dave, I…"

"Does she know how much another garage would charge her for the work you do?" He asked, becoming more than a little irritated. He wasn't by any means a forceful person, but he did let it be known when someone had upset his family. "I have a good mind to call her right now and tell her if she doesn't like it she can call a tow truck and take her car somewhere else! You don't have to take…"

"Dave, Mrs Fletcher was fine about the car. If anything she was happy because I told her I wouldn't charge because of the delay." Ava told him.

"Then what is it?" He asked her.

"Just forget about it." She told him. "I'll wash up…"

"Ava." He said a little more directly. As she turned towards him, he could see she had been crying. He let out a disappointed sigh. Ava was such an easy going person, only one person he could think of could get to her like that. He came across, holding her tenderly to him. "What did he do?"

Back at the Ranger Base, the team arrived back, some of them a lot worse off than others. Hayley and Preston had regained consciousness on the way back, but neither of them were really what anyone could call compos mentis. The others helped them into chairs as Redbot and Mick readied the first aid supplies that they could tell they would need.

"OK, that was brutal!" Calvin stated as he held onto Hayley, holding her upright. "First that boglin thing shrugged off everything we could throw at it, and then that…green guy came along and wiped the floor with everyone!"

"Forcefear's definitely a tough customer…literally." Mick told them. "I've seen him fight in a lot of bouts. He tends to get thrown in against hard-hitters because…well…because they know that they'll get a fight of a decent length out of him. It's not like they'll get a bout that'll end inside the first minute with a guy who can withstand a planet exploding. The problem he's faced is he doesn't tend to be able to dish it back."

"I'd agree with you if my ears weren't still ringing." Levi muttered. "Do they really hire guys like that?"

"Well, kind of like your MMA or boxing there are some hard hitters that have a habit of ending bouts quickly." Mick explained. "Of course like your boxing or MMA people only find one-minute matches entertaining a few times, then they just want their money's worth."

"OK, so that explains who he is." Sarah stated, placing a damp towel on a large bump on Preston's head. "So what about the green guy?"

"That…that's more of a mystery." Mick told her. "I've never seen him before. I have absolutely no idea who he is."

"You don't know?" Hayley asked.

"I've been on the Warrior Dome for twenty years and I've never seen the guy on a single show!" Mick protested. "I haven't heard anything about him on the independents, frankly, as far as I know, this guy has literally appeared from nowhere!"

"Well that's helpful." Sarah said sarcastically. "Whoever he is though, he has serious moves."

"Not to mention some serious power!" Levi chipped in.

"Whoever he is, I think the one thing we can safely say is that he isn't a friend." Brody answered. "Which means we have to be prepared for him coming back. Unfortunately we have no idea what he can do and no way to research him…"

"We have the footage of that fight!" Sarah said, grabbing her tablet. "Well, more accurately Cosmo does, but since I still have pirated access to his broadcasts…"

"You still have that on there?" Preston asked. She just looked sheepish.

"I…couldn't figure out how to cancel." She replied a little self-consciously. "It turns out it's a lot easier to subscribe than it is to cancel. This guy could give our streaming services lessons!"

"OK, well get all the footage we can and we'll figure out all we can about how to take this guy down." Brody told her.

"Well, that's going to have to wait I'm afraid." Mick replied, sucking his teeth. "You all have to get back to class."

"CLASS?" They all chorused.

"It was your lunch break." Mick reminded them. Levi just sighed.

"You think you have it bad, I have the freshman class this afternoon, otherwise known as the tone deaf teens." He complained. "I already have a headache and that is NOT going to help!"

"Man, sometimes this superhero stuff really sucks." Preston muttered as Sarah helped him up and he started limping to class.

"Yeah, I mean this was our lunch break! Not only did we just get our asses handed to us, but I'm still starving!" Calvin complained. "Man my day cannot get any worse!"


	40. A Green Nightmare

Grace had never left a hotel room so quickly in all her life. After seeing Psycho Green appear on Earth though, she knew she had to know the truth for herself. She hoped and prayed that somehow, someone had pulled some form of galactic level hoax. That perhaps a completely unrelated monster had just co-opted the image of Psycho Green in order to use his notoriety, his reputation to spread fear and dread, but that didn't help the intense discomfort in her chest. Just the thought, the idea that it was possible he was back was enough to drive all her body to such levels of anxiety that if it wasn't for the vast number of advanced implants she'd created and had installed over the years to keep her active so long that in her seventies she could work schedules that it could put some in their thirties or even twenties to shame, she wasn't sure she wouldn't already be in a cardiac unit.

Grace was well known to the world, she was a former member of NASADA, and was at one time considered for the Apollo 11 mission to be the first person on the moon, only losing out to Neil Armstrong because there were still a lot of people who weren't sure how the public would take seeing a woman being the one to lead such a vital mission in 1969. She was one of the leading figures in technology thanks to her Promethea foundation, and was always on the cutting edge of virtually every advancement for the last forty years. She was also quietly a key political figure, having been influential in her advice of every administration since the Nixon era, but one item on her resume, one thing that was unknown to all but only seven people on the planet, was what happened on the moon back in 1969.

There had long been rumours of a major incident on the moon shortly after Armstrong's mission, and of course the conspiracy theorists had gone wild with their speculation over what happened, but with no one else there, no one that would ever divulge the horrors of that day at the least, pretty much everyone on Earth was ignorant of the very existence of Psycho Green. He had been sent to Earth to enact a conquest long before anyone had even heard of Rita Repulsa. The mission had succeeded in stopping him, but not without cost. Three people had lost their lives to ensure a world that would never even know it was in danger would remain safe. It was the incident that drove Grace's every action ever since, and haunted every one of her nightmares for almost fifty years.

She arrived at her location, paying her cab driver for the ride, and stepped out, making her way onto the pavement. She could see the entrance to a subway a short way off. There were chains and signs across it, but she approached anyway. As she grabbed one of the chains, preparing to lift it, she heard someone speak.

"Excuse me ma'am." A passer by addressed her. "I'm afraid that train station isn't in operation anymore."

Grace just looked at him. The guy was probably just trying to be helpful, so she didn't want to call him out.

"In fact, that station shut down when I was a kid. The railway routed it to the new line a couple of blocks that way." He told her, pointing. "I don't think there's been a train near here for...more than twenty years."

"Thanks for your help." Grace said, before lifting the chain and stepping under it, descending the stairs. The guy just sighed and shrugged his shoulders, before going on his way.

Grace got to the old turnstile, which had a large sheet of plywood behind it to block anyone else that came down here. She got to the turnstile and put an ID card into the slot where the ticket used to go, at which there was a beep and a mechanical sound preceded the "plywood" moving back. It revealed a platform that didn't look like it had been used in some time. Grace went to the platform as the door closed behind her and pulled out a fob, pressing the button to request her ride. She didn't make a habit of using this method of travel, it was there for emergencies, but this definitely qualified. Within minutes a bullet-train floated into the station, coming to rest in front of her. The door opened, allowing her inside.

When she got in, it was decked out with technology even the Pentagon likely didn't know existed. Computers and monitors decked out the whole train, which was completely automated. She took a seat at one of the computers.

"Summer Cove." She called out. The train lifted off the tracks, before shooting off, picking up speed as it went. Grace hoped and prayed that this day would never come, but if her own personal daemon had indeed returned, she would have to see it for herself. Knowing she had some time to kill, she took out the flash drive, putting it into a secure computer and booting it up. As the opening page came up, she furrowed her brows.

"This is an employee record for the Department of Military Law Enforcement." She stated, checking it closely to see the un-redacted version of Trevor's file. "So Trevor's always been a cop?"

Some years previously in Afghanistan, an infantry unit was standing guard over what was left of a village. They were miles from the nearest city, and had discovered the village on a routine patrol. It wasn't hard to spot, when they arrived; clouds of smoke were still rising from the remains of the buildings. When they got there, nothing prepared them for the carnage they would find.

"About bloody time." One of them commented as a couple of trucks rolled up, bearing military police markings. The Sergeant walked up to the truck as the unit disembarked. He saluted as the man he presumed to be in command approached him, returning the gesture.

"Sergeant Thatcher, infantry." He introduced himself.

"Sergeant Trevor Marx, military police." Trevor introduced himself, shaking his hand. "What do we have here?"

"One hell of a mess, that's what we have." Sergeant Thatcher told him, gesturing to what was left of a village. "It was a bloody massacre. Everyone's dead, they even killed the pets and the livestock!"

"Alright, set up a perimeter and then document everything!" Trevor yelled to his unit. "You know the drill, I want pictures, I want everything you find catalogued, and then I want everything taken back to the lab and I do mean everything! If it doesn't look like it belongs, bag it, tag it and pack it!"

His unit started to file out to begin their work. Thatcher just shook his head in disbelief.

"I'm not even sure why you're out here. I just called this into base and they ordered me to wait on you guys." Sergeant Thatcher commented.

"We're here to find out what happened." Trevor told him, gesturing to one of his guys. "It looks like that building was hit hard, look inside, I want to know what it was before it was hit."

"Yeah, but this region's been at war for years, it's sad but stuff like this probably happens all the time." Sergeant Thatcher commented. Trevor stopped by what looked like a pile of rags, pulling on a pair of gloves. He turned it over, at which Sergeant Thatcher looked like he was going to be sick.

"You're right about one thing, things like this are way too common out here, I've already seen more than a dozen villages like this and my higher brass wants to know what's really going on." Trevor told him. "This girl doesn't even look like she was five years old. Whoever did this, it wasn't soldiers. The only word to describe them is monsters." Sergeant Thatcher could only nod in agreement.

Back in the present, Trevor found himself back home, with no recollection of how he had gotten there. It wasn't the first time he had lost time or travelled with no idea how since he collected the dagger from Grace's office, but by now, he was starting to come to the conclusion that the power he now had, the armour he'd used to confront the Rangers had some kind of auto-pilot that took over when he was in danger. He had gone from the precinct parking lot to his house following the attack, and now he had gone from the attack at the Industrial District back to his home after the intervention of the SWAT team.

He looked to his hands as he recalled much of the battle. He had felt the power within him, but he was amazed by how much power he truly had. He had taken on the Rangers directly. He had never dreamed he'd be able to do that. He had been amassing followers and building an arsenal just to find something that could actually harm them. He was still well aware that bringing them down would be an uphill struggle. However, when he had the armour, he was able to stand toe-to-toe with them and fight them directly.

He had always been concerned about the monsters. The Rangers were tough, but the monsters were also tough, and the authorities had always been sceptical of their ability to turn them back without the Rangers leading to the hands-off policy on the Rangers. Trevor though could see nothing but the inherent dangers in anyone having unchecked power.

In his lifetime he had known of two Ranger teams whose identities were known to the public during their tenure. The Lightspeed team had been his idols growing up; it was them that inspired him to serve in the first place. They were heroes, but more than that they were heroes everyone knew. Trevor had always idolised them. They had answered the call, they had subjected themselves to training and they answered to the Government, and fundamentally to the people. The Overdrive team weren't exactly a Government operated outfit, but at least they were subject to oversight by virtue of the fact they were all identified to the public. That was what he wanted. It was vital that those charged with such power and responsibility were held responsible for their actions.

He smiled as he remembered the battle. It had gone a lot better than he had expected. He hadn't just matched the Rangers; he had them on the ropes. He had at least two of them out of the fight already, and he was closing in on the others when the SWAT unit intervened.

" _They ruined everything."_ The voice said to him.

"They were doing their jobs." Trevor replied, thinking about the battle. He was angry that they had fired on him, he had been calling out to them, trying to alert them to the fact he was there to help, but they obviously took one look at his armour and saw a Ranger. Without knowing who he was, without being able to tell he was one of them, they had acted entirely as he would have expected. He then recalled the suit lashing out, seeing the trucks overturning and the other cops flying as the suit retaliated. "You...You attacked them..."

" _They fired upon us."_ The suit stated.

"You could have killed them!" Trevor screamed, before his mind started to race. "Oh my God, you could...we...I could have killed them! Are any of them...? I need to call..."

" _They will be fine. I did only what I needed to in order to stop them."_ The suit assured him. _"Perhaps now they will think twice before firing upon..."_

"We can't do that again. We're trying to help them, not kill them!" Trevor stated, starting to pace. "Alright, I understand you were trying to help me escape, but from now on, no more lashing out at cops alright? If we need to we run, but no more attacks."

There was a long pause, before he finally got an answer.

" _Agreed."_ The suit replied. _"The Rangers now know of us. We will not have that element of surprise again."_

"Wait, I hear something." Trevor said as he went to the window. The school bus rolled up to the kerb, at which Hayley, Calvin and Kody got out. They both looked decidedly down for a couple of kids who'd just finished school for the day. While it had been a while, he could still remember when he was a kid when the final bell rang it was like a scene from a loony-tunes cartoon, where all that would be left was a Trevor-shaped cloud of dust.

He smiled a little to see them. He hadn't really considered having kids himself. It wasn't that he was against the idea; it was just more something that he didn't really pursue or that really came across his path. After Afghanistan, he had taken a while to recover before getting into the police force, and he'd been kept pretty busy with that until the fated day he had pulled over a spirited young woman that ended up changing his life.

He was a little hesitant at first to hear that he was going to suddenly end up with a teenage daughter, but he and Hayley got along really well and it all kind of fell into place.

He saw them talking, unable to hear what they were talking about, not that he'd have wanted to intrude. Calvin seemed like a good kid, and he did seem to make Hayley happy.

As Hayley bid Calvin farewell and he walked down the driveway and headed up the street towards his place, Trevor couldn't help noticing her limping. She got into the house, at which he approached her.

"Hey, how was school?" He asked her.

"A little livelier than I'd have liked." She told him as she hung up her jacket. "Do we have any aspirin?"

"Are you feeling alright?" He asked. "What happened?"

"Oh, we were testing our extra credit projects." Hayley told him. "Let's just say there was a little more excitement than we'd have liked."

"Wait, why did you take the bus?" He asked. "Where's Calvin's truck?"

"That would be the root of the issue." She chuckled. "A little experiment didn't go exactly as planned.

"Are you alright?" He asked her.

"I'll be fine." She answered, heading for the kitchen. "You got the stuff to make falafel right?"

"Just rummage in the cupboards, it should all be there." He told her, noticing the bruises on her arms. He just eyed her up. "You'd tell me if there was something wrong right?"

"Trevor, could you stop being a cop for like five minutes?" She asked him. "I just took a little fall. It's nothing."

"Alright." He replied. "Do you need a hand?"

"No, I should be good." She replied. "I've been looking forward to this all day!"

As she started to look out the ingredients, Trevor went back to the living room, looking out the window. He didn't like what he had seen at all, and couldn't help thinking about what Hayley had said. "I fell"? It was something he had heard from far too many people in his line of work. He clenched his fists, staring down the road Calvin had taken home.

Meanwhile at the Maxwell House, Calvin pulled into the driveway, killing the engine and getting out of the truck. He headed into the house, hoping to avoid his mom. He was still worked up about the mishap with the part. He had been working on it for weeks now, and he had spent all his time researching just the best components he could afford to make sure that everything went according to plan. He knew that his new fuel injection system would operate at extremely high pressures and so he didn't want to take any chances with it. It was all fine and well making concept models out of re-purposed parts for a test, but he didn't want to risk...well...exactly what had happened.

He hadn't had much of a chance to go over the damage to be sure about what had happened, but he was pretty sure one of the parts his mom had altered had failed. A weld may have burst or a joint that wasn't designed to fit being altered probably didn't hold up, but whatever it was, his beloved Nitro had been fine in the morning, and now...now he was wondering whether there would be anything left of the engine worth salvaging.

Calvin went to the kitchen, looking for something from the fridge, intending to go to his room and just draw a line under the day. He tossed a couple of pizza pockets in the microwave, setting it and pressing the button.

"I don't blame you for wanting to avoid us." Dave said, appearing in the doorway. Calvin just sighed. He had hoped he hadn't heard him coming home.

"Dad, I have stuff to do..."

"Not more important than this." He replied, snapping his fingers and pointing to a chair at the end of the table. Calvin made his way there and sat down.

"I take it mom told you..."

"Your mother and I talked." Dave said, folding his arms. "I just wanted to hear what you have to say for yourself."

"Dad, she blew up my truck!" Calvin told him.

"Yes, I got that part." He replied. "Do you think that excuses what you did?"

"Dad, she..."

"I found your mother in tears! She's in our room right now!" He said angrily. "Your mother was trying to help you and..."

"Dad, she destroyed my truck!" Calvin protested. "I never asked for her help!"

"Well, the thing about being a parent is often you don't wait for your kids to ask you for help." He replied. "She told me about the way you spoke to her in front of your teacher! In front of all your friends, your mother was completely humiliated...!"

"SHE was humiliated?" Calvin yelled. "She turned up at school uninvited, she put an untested part in my truck and she turned the truck I've been building from the ground up for the last five years into scrap..."

"IT'S A TRUCK!" Dave yelled at him, slamming his hands into the table. "You built one, and with your skills I'm perfectly sure if you needed to you could build another..."

"But I can't build another mom is that where this is going?" Calvin asked him. He regretted it almost instantly. As angry as he was with the damage to Nitro, he knew he could fix it with the right parts and enough time. Hell, as his dad said if he really wanted he could just start all over and build Nitro 2.0. However, he couldn't help feeling badly hearing that his mom had been crying. He wasn't expecting her to be jumping for joy about the fact he yelled at her, but he still loved her and didn't really want to see her hurt. Dave's expression changed. It was still anger, but it had gone from yelling to a whole different level, a cold fury that showed how disgusted he was with his son. The microwave bleeped at which he pointed to it.

"Take those to your room and think about what's important to you." Dave said with all the restraint he could muster. Calvin knew he had crossed a line, but he was still so angry he didn't want to back down. He took his pizza pockets and headed up to his room, closing the door behind him. He flopped down on the bed and unwrapped his first pizza pocket.

"Well, I was wrong about one thing." Calvin mumbled as he took a huge bite. "This day did get worse."


	41. Answers are Hard to Find

Up on the Warrior Dome, Cosmo was in his office, trying to make head nor tail of how he was going to make a show out of the recent events.

Things were looking pretty straightforward up until now. Forcefear was an incredibly tough monster, one that could really take a hit. He was somewhat of an eternal midcarder, never really able to distinguish himself with a significant victory. The only reason he was even on the radar was because he had a good reputation and use as a damage sponge.

He would often be thrown into bouts with powerful monsters that had a bad habit of providing only short bouts which his fans would find entertaining for a while, but then would start to resent when they realised they were paying a subscription fee for only minutes, sometimes only seconds of entertainment. He did know that there was a good chance one of the reasons for Forcefear's lacklustre win/loss record was the fact he was thrown into bouts with vastly more powerful monsters just because he would stay on his feet for more than one punch, but as a promoter it really wasn't his concern if the fights were fair, only that they drew money.

Another use he had for him was exactly what he had intended for the Rangers...using him as a speed bump! Challengers to champions needed to keep up momentum, and maintain their strength for the title bouts, but when a champion was a draw, it was a good idea to keep him champion until his popularity started to wane. More than once he had used Forcefear as a wavebreaker, sticking him in front of a challenger right before they faced the Champion as a way to sap their strength. He didn't really care if the Rangers beat Forcefear or not, the best case scenario was they would roll over him like they had so many others only to be so exhausted that Galvanax would destroy them; get his Power Stars, all the while Cosmo would be raking in the ratings.

The intervention of this new player had certainly disrupted what seemed like a very straightforward plan, but it wasn't like he hadn't had to think on his feet before. He had the footage running on a loop on one monitor, and numerous stills of the new monster up all around his office, all while other monitors brought him any and all rumours, no matter how spurious or suspect, all in the hopes of trying to track him down.

He couldn't help marvelling at the creature. It was truly a thing of beauty. It was sleek, it was mean, it was powerful, it had a look that had money printed all over it. He could already imagine posters, action figures, t-shirts. Given how troublesome Galvanax's mood swings had been, he was also starting to imagine him with the title around his waist. He had no idea who this creature was or what he wanted, but if there was one thing he had prided himself on it was that everyone, even those that never intended to do what he wanted, always had SOMETHING they wanted...and he had a talent for figuring out that price! For Galvanax, it had been the promise of the Nexus Prism. He just needed to find out what this new arrival wanted.

He was interrupted in his train of thought as Wrench came into the room. He looked to him only fleetingly before turning back to the image on the screen.

"I was half expecting Odious." He told him. "So close to a title bout, I was sure she'd be lobbying for a better cut."

"I haven't seen her." Wrench said. "That is odd."

"What can I do for you Wrench?" Cosmo asked.

"I just came from the infirmary. Forcefear's on the mend." Wrench informed him. "He's already whining about getting his own back on the Rangers. He said he wants us to gigantify him straight away next time to make his forcefield stronger."

"That might not be a bad idea." Cosmo conceded. "Have we made any progress on the other project?"

"Other project?" Wrench asked, becoming concerned. He did have his own experiment currently running in the lab, one that he had started out of desperation as he saw his own position starting to slip in the ship following his defeat at the hands of the Pink Ranger. Cosmo just tapped the monitor.

"THIS!" Cosmo said impatiently. Wrench would have breathed a sigh of relief if he still breathed. He instead just nodded, trying to cover his moment of panic.

"Well...I have got something but...I'm not sure it's exactly..."

"You have information?" Cosmo rushed out.

"Well, like I said, I'm not sure how much credibility to put on it." Wrench admitted. "The preview reels were running in the taverns, and there were a couple of old timers there trying to mooch a meal, telling all sorts of wild old stories, ones that were..."

"Who are they?" Cosmo rushed out.

"Like I said, they were just a couple of old timers that looked like they were trying to scam people into buying them food and drinks." Wrench said to him. "On second thought...I'm sorry I mentioned it. I'll just get rid of them..."

"They're here?" Cosmo asked. "Well, bring them in! I want to hear what they have to say!"

Wrench just shook his head, before opening the door. Some Kudabots dragged in a three truly pathetic looking creatures, tossing them on the floor.

"When no one would buy them food, they were picked up dumpster diving behind the tavern." Wrench said dismissively. "I'll just get rid of them..."

"Not so fast Wrench." Cosmo said, looking to them. "My cohort tells me you were telling some rather interesting stories."

"We were just trying to get food." One of them protested, a white, goat-looking creature. The way the other two just grovelled and snivelled behind him he looked like the de facto leader of the group, were one to be called such. "I promise if you let us go we won't come back..."

"No, I would like to hear what you have to say." Cosmo said, pulling out a handkerchief and holding it up to his face. "So...my pungent friend...what do they call you?"

"My name is Finster." He informed him. "These are my friends, Squatt and Baboo. I promise, we meant no harm..."

"I'm sure you didn't." Cosmo replied. Squatt pointed to the screen.

"Look, it's him again!" He whispered.

"Shut up!" Baboo whispered.

"But..."

"I said shut UP!" Baboo whispered a little more aggressively. Cosmo just smiled and snapped his fingers.

"Have three executive suites prepared for these gentlemen." Cosmo told Wrench.

"WHAT?" Wrench shrieked. Baboo, Squatt and Finster just stared, wide-eyed like they couldn't believe their luck.

"Oh, and tell the chefs to give them whatever they want, all they can eat, completely on the house!" Cosmo stated. Squatt just collapsed on the floor, fainting while Baboo started pinching himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Cosmo just knelt down before them.

"You will have full access to all my hospitality." Cosmo told them. "IF you can tell me who this is."

"That?" Finster asked. "That's...that's the Green Psycho Ranger...Psycho Green!"

"Ranger?" Wrench asked. "Another Ranger?"

"Why haven't I heard of him?" Finster asked.

"Well...until we saw him we didn't know he was alive either!" Baboo told him. "We believed he was destroyed almost fifty years ago!"

"He was destroyed even before our mistress Rita Repulsa was released." Finster said uneasily. "Before that, he was one of the most feared agents of the United Alliance of Evil...even his fellow Psycho Rangers were terrified of him."

"Fifty years?" Cosmo asked, stroking his chin. That made sense! He had only been running the show for a little more than twenty years, and before that it was a minor league operation on its last legs far from the Milky Way. It also explained why his agents in the area didn't know of him. Many of them would have been children or perhaps not even born when Psycho Green was last active. Cosmo just smiled.

"Let's continue this discussion over dinner shall we?" He asked. "Wrench, wake that one up will you? Then take them to get cleaned up and get new clothes. They can join me in my private dining room where they can tell me all about this Psycho Green!"

As Wrench grabbed Squatt, dragging him from the room while he escorted the others out, Cosmo looked to the screen and hit a few commands. It superimposed the title belt onto him and put up some print.

"Your new Galaxy Warriors Champion, Psycho Green!" He said aloud. "Yes, that really rolls off the tongue!"

It was Wednesday Morning in the Marx house, and Hayley was once again cursing the biggest downside of being a Ranger. Although she was stiff and sore the day before, after a few hours the adrenaline had worn off, it was a whole lot worse.

"Thanks Kody." She said as he brought her trainers to her, scratching him behind the ears. She slipped on her trainers, before heading downstairs to get something for breakfast. Trevor was there, brewing some coffee.

"I was just about to call you." Trevor greeted her. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Not so bad." Hayley assured him, hugging him as she went to put a couple of slices of bread in the toaster. "I'm hoping today will be a little more quiet than yesterday."

"I hope so too." Trevor chuckled. "I know we have medical insurance but just because I have car insurance doesn't mean I go saying 'Hey, now I can drive the wrong way up the freeway'."

"I'll try not to put up your premiums." She told him as she forced a little laugh. She knew he was trying to make light of the situation and joke, but she could tell he was genuinely worried. Sadly it wasn't like she hadn't given him reason to be. She did occasionally show up bruised, but over the last couple of weeks especially some of the battles had been really quite brutal and had left her having to come up with some really creative excuses for her injuries. Her Ninja Comm bleeped, at which she looked a little concerned. "Um...my friends..."

"Don't worry, I won't listen in." He replied as he picked up his coffee mug and headed out of the kitchen. Hayley waited until he was gone, before closing the door and answering it.

"Hayley, its Mick." He began. Hayley immediately found this a little odd. It sounded like he was calling her specifically. Normally he would put out a group signal and speak to whichever one of them answered first. He might occasionally call one of them specifically but generally that would be Brody. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"I'm not too bad; nothing an aspirin won't deal with." She assured him.

"Good, that's really good." Mick told her.

"Mick, not that I don't appreciate the check up but...why are you calling me here?" Hayley asked him.

"I just wanted to check. Do you feel up to viewing some footage of the battle?" Mick asked her.

"Do you really think I want to watch us getting our butts kicked again?" She asked him.

"I know, I wouldn't ask, but...this new guy. I've managed to isolate every piece of footage I could get, everything I could and I managed to get some footage of him. He appears to be saying something." Mick told her.

"OK?" She asked.

"The thing is, it's a language I've never heard before." Mick told her. Hayley finally understood. "I was hoping...if you feel up to it of course...if you could watch it and see if you can tell us what he was saying. It might help us figure out who he is and what he wants."

Hayley understood now. Thanks to her contact with the Ninja Steel, she had become what the others had sometimes joked as being a human Rosetta Stone. She could see or hear communications in any language and her mind would start to figure out the patterns and form it into a format she could understand. It was entirely unconscious, she didn't even realise until the others had told her that she was actually barking when she spoke to Kody, but it did come in useful. Of course usually its main use was things like if she lost the English instructions for her alarm clock or wanted to find out what Kody wanted, but since she had yet to meet a language she didn't end up understanding there was no reason to think if she heard the new monster she wouldn't be able to understand him.

"Yeah, I guess I can give it a shot." Hayley told him. "It's not like it can put us any further back can it?"

"Great!" Mick stated. "I'm cleaning up the audio as much as I can to give you the best chance. It should be ready by lunch time."

"I guess I'll see it then." Hayley replied as she hung up. The toaster popped, startling her. Kody came over to comfort her.

"This new guy's got me spooked Kody." She admitted. "The more we find out about him the better."

Meanwhile, Trevor was in the living room, just finishing off his coffee, getting ready to head to the precinct. He checked his messages on his phone, hoping for news on his comrades. The suit had assured him that its attack wasn't lethal and was purely a reflex to defend itself but he wanted to hear for himself. So far he hadn't heard that anyone had died, but since the energy wave had been powerful enough to overturn a couple of trucks, he was confident at least some of them had to be seriously hurt.

He didn't have any new messages, but he couldn't rely on that being a case of no news being good news. In his experience sometimes no news simply meant people were too busy and had bigger priorities than passing along messages to well-meaning colleagues. As he put his phone away, he saw Calvin coming up the driveway.

He tensed up as he saw him, and headed out of the door towards him.

Calvin wasn't really paying attention as he headed for Hayley's place. He was still stewing about Nitro, and how much work he would have to put in to repair it. He didn't really notice that Trevor was coming until he almost walked into him.

"Mr Marx, hi." Calvin greeted him. "Um...sorry, my mind was elsewhere..."

"Yeah, things can be like that can't they?" Trevor answered. "I remember how it is at your age. I guess you all have a lot on your plate right now."

"Oh, you have no idea." Calvin chuckled. "Exams, essays, projects..."

" _He's joking?"_ The suit asked. _"He thinks this is a joke?"_

"Oh, I remember a lot of that." Trevor assured him. "It's pretty easy to get overwhelmed."

"Yeah, I guess so." Calvin said with a shrug.

" _Such disrespect for authority."_ The suit said to him. _"If he doesn't respect you, what do you think he does respect?"_

"And when you do, it can get frustrating can't it?" Trevor asked him. Calvin just looked a little confused.

"Yeah I guess so." He answered.

"Hayley told me that you had a little mishap with your truck." Trevor pressed on. Calvin groaned and rolled his eyes. This was the last thing he needed, another gown-up lecturing him about yelling at his mom. He did feel badly about it, especially hearing from his dad how upset she was, but he was still mad about Nitro.

"Look, I know what you're going to say and with all due respect I really don't think it's any of your business..."

" _He's lying!"_

"Oh, I think it's very much my business!" Trevor said a little gruffly. Calvin looked a little surprised to hear that tone from him. "Hayley said she was hurt in a fall caused by that accident."

"Yeah...that's right." Calvin said, not really following what Trevor was saying.

" _He's lying!"_ The suit reiterated. Trevor tried to push the voice from his head and concentrate on his conversation. He stepped a little closer to Calvin.

"This isn't the first time she's 'fallen' recently is it?" Trevor asked him. "I seem to remember her being a little roughed up just the other week as well."

"Um...I guess she was." Calvin said.

" _He mocks you!"_ The suit told him. _"No one is this dense!"_ Trevor put a hand on Calvin's shoulder.

"It's a little easy to let these things get away from you. To let your frustrations build." Trevor said, before tightening up his grip. Calvin got a look on his face, a mix of shock and pain as Trevor clamped down. He just stared at Trevor. "I just want to make sure you know that you shouldn't direct those frustrations the wrong places."

"Mr Marx..."

"A man treats those around him with respect, with care." Trevor told him. "I've seen a lot of people that didn't and I want you to know that does NOT sit well with me!" Calvin could hardly believe what he was hearing. Trevor had always been really nice to him, to everyone! He was sure that in his job there were times he had to be direct, but he had never imagined him turning that on him.

"Mr Marx, I swear I've never harmed Hayley..."

" _He's lying!"_ The suit told him. _"Make him see the error of his ways!"_

"I'm not saying you have." Trevor replied coldly. "I'm just saying that you should look after Hayley, protect her. Because if I see her limping or with bruises or cuts, well, things could get...unpleasant."

He tightened his grip even more on Calvin's shoulder. He started to back down, it felt like his collar bone was in danger of snapping.

"Do we understand each other?" He asked. Calvin just hurriedly nodded as Hayley and Kody came out of the house.

"Alright, I'm ready." She replied, pulling on her jacket as Trevor hurriedly released Calvin. "What's...going on?"

"Oh, I was just catching up with Calvin here." Trevor told her. "Tough luck about the truck."

"Yeah, it's...just a truck." Calvin said, looking to him worriedly. "I can fix it."

"Best of luck with that." Trevor answered.

"Cal, the bus will be coming soon." Hayley reminded him. "I'll see you later Trevor!"

As they left, Trevor just stared after Calvin, who flashed a little look back. He hoped that this would be the first and last time he would ever have this conversation with the young man.

Afghanistan, some years ago, Trevor was sitting outside a building back in the barracks to be called. Neil, one of the members of his unit, was sitting pouring himself from coffee from a flask.

"Are you kidding me Neil?" Trevor asked him. "We're in the middle of the desert, most of us are baking alive and you're drinking coffee?"

"What can I say? I like my caffeine." Neil said with a shrug. Trevor just took a swig from his water canteen, before checking his watch.

"For Gods' sake, how long are they going to make us wait?" He asked.

"Lab tests take time." Neil reminded him. "Also, in case you hadn't noticed, it takes a while to get anything out here. I've not had a decent Columbian roast in over a month."

"Really? That's what you care about?" Trevor asked him. "Put the coffee away for Christ's sake!"

Just then, he saw a group coming into view. They were all wearing combat gear, but beyond that he didn't really recognise them. They weren't wearing any insignia of any kind, and they were carrying pretty top of the line hardware. They were also all wearing masks, which looked like gas masks, but they had been customised, painted into various different horrifying images of skulls or ferocious creatures. Trevor just nudged Neil.

"What's with those guys?" He asked.

"Oh, that's the Ghosts." He told him. Trevor just stared blankly at him. "You haven't heard of them?"

"Let's just assume I haven't." Trevor replied sarcastically. Neil just tipped his cup in their direction.

"Well Serge, those would be the finest private contractors that money can buy." Neil told him.

"Private contractors?" Trevor asked sceptically. "You mean mercenaries."

"That would be the size of it, yes." Neil answered. Just then, the door in the building behind them opened.

"Sergeant Marx, we're ready for you!" Someone stated. Trevor just sighed.

"About bloody time." He answered. He went inside, to the makeshift lab that had been erected for his unit to run the technical side of their investigations. He approached one of the lab techs.

"Alright, what can you tell me about this?" Trevor asked.

"Well, everyone was shot." The lab tech replied. Trevor just gave him a disapproving look.

"I could have told you that." Trevor answered.

"Well, sorry to say I really don't have much more than that." The lab tech told him. "I mean, we've got the measurements and the pictures you've taken and we've got the bodies, but with the exception of the fact they were shot with high velocity rounds I can't say much else."

"High velocity rounds?" Trevor asked sceptically. If they were back home that might mean something, but out here, in an active war zone, high velocity rounds really only narrowed it down to assault weapons and snipers rifles...both of which were all over the place. The sad fact was this region of the world had been flooded with such weapons now for decades. "Come on, surely you can at least tell me what weapons..."

"Maybe if I had the bullets or the brass I could but you've not given me much to work with here." The lab tech told him. Trevor just furrowed his brows.

"There were no casings, they cleaned up, but we did recover a couple of rounds." Trevor answered. "I dug some of them out of brickwork myself."

"I don't know what to tell you, they're not here." The lab tech told him.

"You're trying to tell me evidence from an ongoing investigation just grew legs and walked away by itself?" Trevor asked him.

"What I'm telling you is I never got it!" The lab tech reiterated. Trevor just turned and left. "Where are you going?"

"Well, apparently I'm not going to find any answers here am I?" Trevor said impatiently. "I guess I'll just have to find them out there then won't I?"


	42. Only Trying To Help

Trevor arrived at the precinct, with an impending sense of dread. He normally felt a sense of pride coming into work, preparing to start another day where he would strive to make his corner of the world just a little better. Of course, it wasn't every day he was going in to find out the fate of a SWAT unit at his hands.

He still hadn't heard any reports from the precinct. Normally fatalities were reported pretty quickly but there was only so long he could rely on 'no news is good news'. The armour had lashed out in retaliation when they fired on him, overturning a couple of trucks and sending a number of them flying. He was under no false impressions that there would be injuries, there was no way there wouldn't be. The suit had assured him that it would not strike out again, but that didn't help him with finding out how bad things had been for those on the ground at the time.

He came into the precinct, finding Ellie yelling over a phone as a huge pile of paperwork was resting on her desk.

"I keep telling you that all press statements are made directly from our press department." She told the person at the other end. "Just leave your publication name, your name, your publication date and a phone number and the press department will be in touch…hello? Hello? ASSHOLE!"

"Press?" Trevor asked her.

"If you think I'm in a mood, you do NOT want to talk to the Captain!" She told him, nodding to confirm the detail.

"Have you heard anything about the SWAT team?" Trevor asked. Ellie just started making shushing sounds.

"Are you TRYING to get sacked?" She asked him. "The Captain's had every reporter in the city on his case ever since the incident wanting to talk about why a SWAT team was even at a Ranger battle. Half the SWAT unit is in the hospital surrounded by union reps and lawyers!"

"What?" Trevor asked. She just looked at him.

"Don't play dumb with me, if they were there to take on the Rangers in direct violation of department policy, this is going to bring a whole new type of hell down on this department!" She told him. "Between that and everything else I wouldn't be surprised if the Captain is talking to his own union rep. about early retirement."

"What other stuff?" Trevor asked her. She just stared at him in disbelief.

"Where have you been? Sleeping for the last 24 hours?" She asked him. "A bunch of car thieves were picked up in the parking lot…or should I say were scraped up out of the parking lot! The conservative estimate is it's going to be about six months in intensive care before any of them are even fit to be brought in for questioning never mind face trial!"

"Car th…" Trevor's words tailed off as it suddenly came back to him. He was attacked in the parking lot by guys trying to boost cars while the cops were on shift. He had blacked out during the attack, only to wake up at home with no idea how he got there. He knew the suit's power, he had seen it himself but had it really gone so far?

" _They would have done the same to you."_ The suit told him.

"Sterling's been going on about something being stolen from her office, but somehow I think that's the least of the Captain's worries right now." She told him. "I guess the only good news is he needs every set of feet on the street right now with so many officers out injured."

"Wait, do you mean…?"

"Congratulations." She told him, handing him a letter. "It looks like you are officially off clerical work."

"The unit, how badly hurt were they?" He asked.

"A few broken bones, some minor surgeries, but no fatalities, thank God." Ellie told him. "But even once they're cleared for duty Internal Affairs will be all over them. We've managed to lose about thirty officers for the foreseeable future."

"It's just as well one of them's just come back then isn't it?" They heard someone say. Trevor turned around and smiled.

"Skullovitch!" He greeted his partner warmly. "It's great to see you! They reinstated you already?"

"Well, not exactly." Spike told him. "Even I'm not able to bounce back from surgery like that so quickly. I'm on restricted duties, but you know me. It doesn't matter if I'm kicking down doors or washing the patrol cars, I'm just here to help."

"Well if you really want to help, you can take some of these." Ellie told him, gesturing to the folders on her desk. Spike grabbed half of them and started looking around for a desk of his own.

"It's great to be back." He stated.

"It's good to see you back." Trevor answered. As Spike headed off to find a desk, Trevor caught sight of Grace by the door to her office, speaking with what looked like a forensics team…though it wasn't the department's. It was her own team that were there, no doubt to try and figure out who had taken the dagger. Trevor suddenly felt the walls closing in, and found it hard to breathe. He needed to get out of the building. The streets, that was where he was needed.

At lunch time, back at the school, in the Ranger Base, the team had assembled just as Mick had asked them to. There was a lot to discuss going forward. They had a lot of problems that were very quickly stacking on top of each other.

"Alright, so what do we discuss first?" Calvin asked. "The psychopath in the gold armour that's coming down for us, the psychopath in the green armour that wants a piece of us, the cops who apparently still hate us or the boglin with the howitzer?"

"Alright, there's admittedly a lot to unpack, so let's prioritise." Mick stated. "We know Galvanax is the next round, so for now we put him on the backburner."

"Well, that's one thing I guess." Levi stated. "So, what about the rest of it?"

"The cops, I don't really know what we're expected to do." Preston stated. "I mean, all we can do is try and avoid them, right? We can't really fight back even if they are throwing military grade weapons at us."

"So that just leaves us with these two." Brody replied. "Alright, the guy in the green, you said you have footage."

"It's just going through the last stages of cleaning as we speak." Mick stated.

"Alright, that just leaves the boglin." Sarah sighed. "We heard him say that if he's gigantified his forcefield will only get stronger."

"That's not good news. We had a hard enough time with it on the ground." Brody stated. "If Lion Fire Armour can't break through the force field, then what could?"

"I don't know." Mick replied honestly. "Yet."

"If that monster's gigantified even our Megazords may not be able to get through its forcefield." Hayley said, looking extremely worried. "It doesn't really matter much who our future opponents would have been if we can't take this guy down."

"Guys, look!" Sarah called out, pointing towards the Nexus Prism. It had been some time since it had activated, the last time it had was when Viera came to them, bringing the Lion Ship. They all looked into it as it started to glow brightly, showing an image of their three Megazords, the Ninja Steel Megazord, the Bullrider Megazord and the Lion Fire Megazord. The image spun and merged before coming back in a new form they had never seen before. They could recognise components of their old Zords, but they were put together in a way they hadn't seen before, and it looked like there were components of all three Zords.

"The prism wants us to combine all three Megazords." Mick surmised.

"Is that even possible?" Brody asked. Everyone just turned and stared at Sarah.

"What?" She asked.

"Well, you ARE the only one that's done this kind of stuff before." Hayley reminded her.

"Well, yeah but…I was never IN the Zords, and the Dino Charge Zords worked differently." Sarah told them. "But…yeah, there was a configuration they called the Ultrazord. It combined all the Zords they had."

"So, it is possible?" Brody asked.

"Well, I guess so! The Prism seems to think so!" Sarah replied. "I guess all we need now is a Power Star!"

"And…that's where we hit on our next problem." Mick sighed regretfully. He led them over to the table where all the Power Stars were sitting. "As you may or may not remember, we used the last of the Ninja Steel making the Lion Fire Armour Star and the Lion Fire Zord Star."

"So, there's no more Ninja Steel?" Hayley asked. Mick took the trophy and turned it upside down, shaking it to emphasise his point.

"We all knew this day would come." Mick told them. "Redbot and I have been taking inventory of the Ninja Stars. I was hoping another source of Ninja Steel would turn up, but without one…we have no choice but to start melting down old stars to make new ones."

"Melting down old stars?" Levi asked. "But that would mean…"

"The associated weapons would be lost too." Mick confirmed.

"The ninja always had to upgrade their arsenal." Brody said, leaning on the table and trying to look over the stars which had served them all so well. "Whenever a weapon became obsolete and was no longer useful, they'd discard it in favour of a new weapon."

"But how do we decide?" Preston asked. "Literally every star on that table has saved our lives at least once, probably multiple times!"

"I've run an algorithm which takes into account the regularity with which you use each star, the power of the weapon, the strategic importance of it, and the likelihood you'll need it again." Redbot announced. "I've come up with a graph that shows the best candidates…"

"Leave the stars for now." Brody told them. "We don't know when we'll need them again."

"But we need Ninja Steel." Sarah reminded him. "Without it…"

"We can't forge a new star." Brody concluded. "I know. But there is one more thing that we can melt down."

He went over to a wall, and reached up, taking his father's ninjato down from the wall. They all watched as he pulled it from its scabbard, staring at it thoughtfully. Levi came across.

"Brody, that was dad's." Levi reminded him. "It's one of the few things we have of his."

"Yeah, I still remember when you caught me playing with it and you made me do sit-ups until I barfed." Calvin stated.

"We all know how much it means to you." Sarah replied. "We don't expect you to give it up."

"I know." Brody sighed. "But, it's just a sword. Dad's gone and even if he was around, he'd be the first one to remind us that there's no point in keeping mementos if you end up failing to live in the process."

He put it back in the scabbard and slowly, hesitantly, handed it to Mick.

"Melt it down." He told him. "I'm going for some air. Tell me when the star is ready."

"I'll go with him." Levi said as he left the room. Sarah looked to Mick sadly.

"Are you SURE there isn't more Ninja Steel?" She asked him.

"I wish there was, but so far I've not found anything." He told her. "I've been running scans of the universe but…"

"Maybe we can speed up the process." Sarah suggested. "Break the universe into smaller areas and run multiple scans at once."

"That's a great idea!" Preston stated. "We'll each take a quadrant!"

"Thanks, that's a great help guys." Mick replied as he took the sword out of the scabbard and looked to it one last time. "In the meantime, I guess…I have a ninja star to forge."

With that, he plunged it into the forge.

Meanwhile, over in a park a short way from the school, Viera was sitting with Monty, staring at the Mega Mag. Well, she was anyway, he was staring at her. She just looked to it, examining the machine carefully.

"Well, strictly speaking it DID work." She told him as she looked to it. "It looks like we just have a little problem with control. All we need to do is make it a little more sensitive."

"Control?" Monty asked her, continuing to stare.

"The real problem is it basically turns up in far too large a degree when it's turned up." She told him. "It was able to pick up small items like coins, but then when you turned it up a little…"

"It caused Victor to bury himself and almost strangle you to death." Monty said, sounding a little guilty. She just looked to him, putting a hand on his softly.

"I told you, that wasn't your fault, it was just…an unforeseen accident." She told him. "I wasn't even meant to be in the path of the magnet, it's only because Victor lost control when he was buried and pointed it my way."

"I know, but I just hate the thought of anything happening to you because of our creation." Monty told her.

"It's nothing, I keep telling you." She sighed. "It's just something neither of us could have…"

She pulled away as Monty moved her hair. She looked to him in alarm.

"Monty, what…?"

"Your necklace…I wondered why you didn't take it off." He gulped.

"Monty, what were you…?"

"I didn't see a latch." Monty said, staring at her. "I saw a weld. You can't take it off, can you?"

"Monty!"

"Viera, who did that to you?" He asked. "Who put that on you?"

"It doesn't matter!" She snapped at him, before looking away. "I…I can't explain it but someone put this thing on me and now I can't get it off."

"Viera I'm sorry…"

"It's on too close to my neck to even risk trying to cut it off." She told him. "Even if I could, I don't even know if it can be cut."

"So…someone put that on you?" He asked her. "Why?"

"So that I'd know that he owned me." She replied. Monty suddenly felt ill. He couldn't imagine anyone wanting to harm Viera. She had been one of the most amazing people he had ever met.

"Own you?" He asked. "Like…as in a pet?"

"More like a slave." She told him. "It's…not something I like to talk about. It's one of the reasons I came here."

"To get away from the guy who put that on you?" Monty asked. She just nodded.

"The worst part is, coming here I know I've left people behind, people who are going to get hurt because I'm gone." She told him. "I sometimes wonder if it wouldn't have been for the best if I stayed."

"No one ever deserves to be treated like that." Monty told her, sitting in front of her and looking straight into her eyes. "I will get that thing off you, I promise."

"That's sweet Monty, but I don't even know if that's possible." She told him. Monty thought about it, before his eyes found the Mega Mag. He picked it up.

"What about this?" He asked her.

"Monty, that thing almost killed me." She told him. "No offence."

"I know, but…what if we set up more than one?" He asked her. "You know, set it up to pull from multiple directions at once."

"So that the collar stays in place…"

"Then if we turn up the power a little bit at a time…"

"We could have the magnets pull it apart!" She screamed, looking to him in delight. "Monty that's genius!"

"Well, I don't know about genius but…" He said as his eyes caught hers. He could see tears in her eyes. "Viera…why are you…why are you crying?"

"Because…you could set me free." She replied. She started to draw closer to him, her heart pounding, when Victor suddenly arrived.

"Alright, I have burritos all round, Monty I have that hot sauce…" Victor said, putting the tray down between them. "Um…am I interrupting something?"

"Just…a bit of a breakthrough." Monty sighed. Just then, there was a flash of light. They all turned to see Madame Odious as she appeared before them.

"What…what are you?" Monty stammered out.

"I…don't know." Viera gulped, trying to usher them behind her. Madame Odious just laughed.

"Oh, I wouldn't have thought you'd have forgotten that soon." She told her. "Come with me Princess Viera, and bring the humans and their device with you."

"Never!" Viera snapped at her. Madame Odious just stared at her.

"Oh, we both know you're in no fit state to stop me right now." She answered. "You can all come with me willingly or try to resist. But I guarantee you, this will be a lot less painful if you just co-operate."

Viera weighed up her options. Even with her abilities she wasn't sure she'd be a match for Odious. Her scientific and magical abilities were as renowned as her cruelty and malice. Viera didn't even have a suitable weapon to even begin to fight. If she tried, she had no idea if Victor and Monty would survive. In the end, she just held her hands in submission.

"A wise decision." Madame Odious stated as she pulled out some restraints. As she approached them, Victor just looked to Viera.

"Princess?" He asked. "I didn't know there was a royal family in Idaho." Viera, Monty and Madame Odious all just stared at him in disbelief.

"Really?" Madame Odious asked in bemusement as she shook her head, staring at Monty. "Why would you choose to spend time with such a moron? Is his presence simply to make yourself feel better about your own intellect?"

"Actually, not as dumb as people think!" Victor yelled, taking his father's dog tags, which he had been positioning between his fingers, and punched out, ramming it right through one of the eye holes in her mask into her eye. As she shrieked, he grabbed the Mega Mag, swinging it into her face and knocking her down. "Sometimes It's just good to let people think you're dumb!"

"Victor! That was…"

"That was a stall at best Monty!" Victor called out, grabbing him and Viera. "RUN!"

Back at the Ranger Base, Redbot was just finishing up grinding the Ultrazord Star into shape when Calvin came over to him. Time was running short, and they knew they had to be ready if the star was needed. Redbot stepped away as he surveyed his work.

"Well, there's no more ninja steel, but the star is finished." He said. Calvin took the star from him and surveyed it.

"This looks good, good work Redbot." Calvin told him, patting him on the shoulder. Mick was just returning from the bathroom when he noticed this and stood back watching as Calvin took up position opposite the Nexus Prism. "Alright, just be ready for the return Calvin. Here we…GO!"

He threw the star, and it did come back quickly, though not at all how Calvin expected. Instead of going into the prism and transforming, it just rebounded off with a loud clang, coming straight back and lodging itself in Calvin's leg.

"SON OF A…"

"It's OK Calvin, it's alright, I've got you!" Mick said, rushing over and catching him before he fell. The others were quickly around him as they helped him to a table. Preston already had the first aid kit. "Alright, this is going to hurt…"

"Yeah, because the star going IN was like a nice fluffy snow cone!" Calvin complained as Mick grabbed it and yanked the star out. "GAHH!"

"What happened?" Hayley rushed out.

"It didn't work that's what happened!" Calvin complained.

"What could we have done wrong?" Mick asked, inspecting it. Calvin looked to Redbot, who had done most of the work.

"Redbot, are you sure you polished it just right?" He asked.

"Yes, I polished the star perfectly." Redbot protested.

"Well, what about the shape?" Calvin asked.

"I calculated the shape for a Zord star to perfection!" Redbot protested.

"The weight! Are you sure…"

"I promise you I calculated everything about this star perfectly!" Redbot said, sounding agitated. "Please, I'm sorry Calvin, I don't know why it didn't work, but I did everything right!"

"I'm sorry Redbot, I was just trying to…" Calvin's words tailed off as he suddenly thought about the fight with his mom. "I was just trying to help."

He looked to Mick, who was just staring at him with that slightly smug expression he always had when he realised his Rangers had just figured out for themselves what everyone had been trying to tell them.

"Can…you guys give me a minute?" Mick asked. The other Rangers just turned and left to go back to what they were doing slowly as Mick looked to Calvin. He had been remarkably quiet about the whole situation, even though he had been there when Calvin yelled at his mom. Calvin just looked completely ashamed of himself.

"I…I'm so sorry." Calvin said regretfully. "I was mad, but what I said, the way I treated my mom…"

"And you're telling me this why exactly?" Mick asked him. "Look, I could have yelled at you, tried to tell you that you were out of line but until you realised it yourself it was pointless."

"I was just so angry." Calvin responded. "I know mom put that part in my truck and it went wrong but she didn't deserve…"

"Oh, yeah, interesting thing about that. I took the liberty of having a little look at your engine, or what was left of it anyway, and I found something rather interesting." Mick told him. He held up a twisted, mangled sheet of metal. "Say hello to the cause of all your woes."

"This?" Calvin asked. "What is it?"

"Try looking a little closer." Mick told him. Calvin inspected it carefully, handling it, even sniffing it.

"Is this…part of my fuel tank?" He asked.

"More accurately it was a patch that was attached to seal a hole in your fuel tank." Mick told him, pulling up a computer simulation. "When the new fuel injector fired up, the pressure built until the patch couldn't hold and blew out. When it did, the blowback…"

"Went straight up through the injector and caused it to blow apart too." Calvin stated. He then paused as a thought occurred to him. "The patch…I put that in!"

"Mmm hmm." Mick stated.

"And it was the pressure that blew it, which means it would have blown even if I had used the part the way I planned to build it." Calvin gulped. He stared at Mick. "This was…my fault!"

"Yeah, it kind of was." Mick told him. "Even the best of us make mistakes and miss something every now and then."

"I really need to talk to my mom." Calvin stated. "I just…I spent so much time thinking about all the pressure the new part would be under I didn't think about the pressure it would put on the parts that were already there when I supercharged…"

Calvin jumped off the table, hobbling a little as he got onto his leg. Mick helped steady him.

"Calvin, take it easy." He warned.

"Mick, there's no time!" Calvin told him. "I need you to help me!"


	43. Calvin's Star Turn

Although it was some way out of his usual patrol route, Trevor couldn't help swinging past the hospital. Summer Cove had once been a very quiet and peaceful place, before the Rangers showed up the last violent crime reported had been some time in the seventies and most weeks the most serious thing most would have to deal with was a little bit of vandalism, perhaps some petty theft. However, this wasn't the first time Trevor had seen scenes like this.

As he got to the wards, he could see the members of the SWAT unit he had attacked. He managed to confirm to his relief that none of them were fatally injured, in fact a fair few had already been released to go home, but there were still some very serious cases. Body armour could only do so much to help, and the equipment issued to the other officers was never meant to handle anything like the power of his suit. He could see one of the men being tended to, his family at his bedside as the doctors showed him x-rays. Trevor could see without even going into the room that there were multiple breaks on that particular x-ray. It would be some time before he was going home.

"Marx?" He heard someone say. He turned around to see one of his followers, Baxter gesturing him over. Trevor just made his way over. "You've got some nerve showing your face here…"

"What?" Trevor asked. He could recall the battle, he was wearing the helmet. Was it possible the officer had still recognised him? They didn't seem to when they opened fire. He was trying to think of anything he might have said or done. "I…I don't…"

"Where the hell WERE you?" Baxter snapped at him. Trevor felt only a little bit of relief hearing this. Baxter wasn't calling him out for attacking them, he clearly had no idea it was Trevor under that helmet. No, he was calling him out for chickening out on his unit. "I called you and you said you were on your way!"

"I…I was." Trevor told him.

"In fact, I seem to remember you saying something about having something that could help." Baxter pressed on. Trevor looked down to his hands, thinking about that. He had meant the armour. He didn't fully understand it or how it worked, but he knew it was powerful, far more powerful than even the weapons the SWAT unit could bring to bear. He knew even before he faced the Rangers that he would have the power to tip the scales. "So, what the hell happened?"

"I was held up." Trevor said. Even he wasn't convinced by his lie. Baxter just looked to him in disgust.

"Held up my ass, we all know what really happened." Baxter responded. "Sterling's got your balls in her purse."

"Baxter…"

"You've been reprimanded once and now you're just backing off like a frightened little puppy." Baxter sneered as he pulled himself into a better position. "You started this Marx, now you don't have the guts to see it through."

Trevor wanted to explain, to try and assure Baxter that he was still committed to the fight, but he could already tell he wasn't willing to listen, even before he turned over to face away from him. He looked around and could see that others were giving him dirty looks and opted instead to turn and leave. He would make it up to them in kind when he brought the Rangers down. Sometimes, people just had a habit of not being in the right place.

Years previously, back in Afghanistan, Trevor and his unit brought some casualties to the co-ordinates they had been given, finding a village largely in ruins with some hastily-erected structures and tents among them. He could recognise markings that these were medical units and knew he was in the right place. As he dismounted from the truck, he banged on the side.

"Alright, alright men, we're here!" He called out as a man rushed to him. "Are you the chief medical officer?"

"No, I'm just a paramedic, but I'm the highest-ranking person here so I guess you could say for now I'm the closest thing you have." The man called out. "Sergeant Vincent!"

"Sergeant Marx, military law enforcement!" Trevor replied, shaking his hand. "I was hoping for someone more senior…"

"You and me both! In case you hadn't noticed everyone's making do out here." Vincent replied. "It's just me, a couple of others, and some local volunteers."

"Locals volunteers?" Trevor asked. Vincent just smiled.

"Hey, some of the locals are pretty good. The learning curve is pretty sharp out here." He told him as a guy, who looked like he couldn't be much more than seventeen showed up, carrying some supplies. "Victor here might be young but he's been through more procedures than a lot of the guys I've trained with."

"His name is Victor?" Trevor asked, looking a little surprised.

"Well, not really." Vincent explained. "The unfortunate thing is I really have no idea how to pronounce his name but he reminds me so much of my boy I just call him that."

"Sergeant Vincent has told me all about his son." The young man replied cheerfully. "I consider it a compliment."

"Serge!" One of Trevor's guys called out. He turned around to see one of the casualties turning an unnatural shade and starting to thrash around. He couldn't hear his breaths.

"It's a collapsed airway!" Victor rushed out. He started to look out a scalpel, at which Trevor was about to intervene. Vincent pulled him back.

"It's alright, give him space to work." He told him.

"But that man…"

"That man's dying right now." Vincent told him. "Let the man do his job."

"But…" Trevor was surprised as he saw the young man work quickly, with a dexterity and certainty of someone much older than him, slicing into the man's neck. A moment later, he had inserted a tube, and the man fell still once more. Vincent slapped Trevor on the back.

"And that's about as good an emergency tracheotomy as you're likely to see." He stated. "Alright, let's get these men inside before the storm hits!"

As they started bringing the men inside, Trevor just looked to Victor.

"That…that was amazing." He said, looking to him in awe. Victor just smiled.

"I just believe that a person has a duty to do what they can to make the world a little better." Victor told him. "Now, come inside. While I help these people, you can tell me what it is like to be a policeman so far from home."

Back at the Ranger Base in the present, the team were all standing around as Calvin got to work on a device. Normally Sarah was the one that came up with most of the new gadgets, she was more of an expert with electronics, but just like her, the Ninja Steel had affected Calvin, though in his case it greatly enhanced his already considerable grasp of mechanics.

It wasn't as though the Ninja Steel just gave him the knowledge he would need, but what it did do was create new pathways much faster in his mind when he started working on machines. His problem solving, his special awareness, his instincts for working out stresses and energy all worked so much faster, meaning he now learned how to perform tasks so much faster than he had before. The others just stared at him as he built a device.

"So…do you have any idea what he's doing?" Brody asked.

"It doesn't look like a toaster so I'm lost." Preston replied.

"Damned if I know." Levi said with a shrug. "The last thing he said I understood was 'Pass the wrench please'."

"It kind of looks like…Calvin…are you building a generator?" Sarah asked him. Calvin paused and looked over to her smiling.

"Yup, I am indeed." Calvin told her. Sarah started scratching her head.

"OK, probably a dumb question, but…can I ask why?" She asked him.

"Well, I was just thinking. The Ninja Star we're trying to make is basically right, right?" He asked.

"Um…"

"It's the right shape, we've gone over the calculations and verified that." Calvin told them, not even looking at his hands which continued to work as though possessed. "It's the right shape, it's been polished…everything about it is right, but it's just not working to activate the Nexus Prism, right?"

"That would be about the size of it." Hayley stated.

"Well, I was thinking that it's kind of like Sarah's problem with the battery for her hoverboard." Calvin stated. They all just stared at him. "There's nothing wrong with the battery per se, it's just a matter of getting it to hold and keep enough energy to power it the way it's needed."

"Yeah, I built a supercharger." Sarah told him. "It works better than a mains supply."

"Well, what if we take that principle and apply it to the Ninja Star?" Calvin asked. "Oh, Sarah, that reminds me, can I borrow your supercharger?"

"I…guess." She replied, getting it out of her bag. Calvin took it off her and quickly removed one of the panels. "HEY!"

"Sorry, but I was thinking, what if we can supercharge the Power Star?" He asked. "Just like with my engine, by pushing greater power through, we can cause the whole thing to work a lot better and jump-start the whole process. So, by using your supercharger to power up the Power Star, and connecting it to this generator, we can put a whole butt load of power into it and really get that star humming!"

"That actually sounds like a great idea!" Sarah commented. "I…guess it would have been better if you asked before you cannibalised my supercharger first, but if it works, I guess it's worth it!"

"OK, but generators work by using energy to drive them, like hydroelectric plants, right?" Levi asked. "So, what are we using to drive the generator?"

"That is where these come in." Calvin told them, holding up his own Power Star. "We're going to use our own morphing energy to drive the whole process."

"OK, but…sorry to be the one to bring this up, your engine…it blew up." Preston reminded them. Calvin just sighed.

"I won't lie to you, just like my engine, if there's a fault and it doesn't hold while we're powering the generator, then the blow back could, well, it could potentially…blow out our Power Stars." He admitted. He could see the looks from the others. "Guys, I swear, I've thought about this, the odds of that happening are super remote. Redbot, Mick and I have gone over this thing a few times and I'm positive that it'll work."

"But it is a risk." Brody said, thinking about his options. He looked around the room. "It's got to be a unanimous decision."

"Well, if we don't do it, we don't have anything that'll defeat that Forcefear guy." Levi stated.

"I'm in." Sarah added. "But if you manage to blow out my supercharger AND my Power Star, I will never let you live it down."

"Considering the fact, we'll be getting scraped off the walls I don't think that's an issue." Calvin reminded her. Preston just came over.

"If you're sure this will work…"

"Believe me, it'll work as well as the fuel injector." Calvin told them, looking to Mick.

"OK then." Brody replied. "So, what do we do?"

"Alright, what we all need to do is stand around it, and all morph at once." Calvin told him. "But we need to channel our energy towards the generator to fire it up."

"Alright." Brody said as they all took up position around the device. "Alright Calvin, this is your show. You make the call."

"Ninja Stars, lock in!" Calvin called out as they all put their Ninja Stars into their morphers. "NINJA SPIN!"

Elsewhere in the city, Viera, Monty and Victor were running for their lives, hoping that Victor's surprise attack on Odious had gotten her off their tail. They managed to get to an open-air theatre when they had to stop to catch their breath. Crouching down behind some seats, they took the time to get some much-needed rest.

"I didn't see that thing behind us." Victor panted as he cast a cautious look over the chairs.

"I think she might find it a little harder to find us with one less eye." Monty said, forcing a breathless little laugh.

"I don't think I took the eye out, but it'll definitely hurt like hell." Victor answered, extracting his dad's dog tags from between his fingers, wiping them down on his t-shirt before putting them back on. "Here's hoping that it's enough to keep her from finding us. I do not want to know what she'll do to us now I've pissed her off like that."

"Unfortunately, I'm sure she can probably find us through other means." Viera answered. "We should keep moving. We need to get back to the school."

"The school?" Victor asked. "What can they do, put her in detention? I'm thinking more like the marines or the National Guard 'princess'."

"Yeah, and what was that about anyway?" Monty asked her.

"I…don't know she must have…"

"Oh, come on, it was clear even to me that thing knew you." Victor interrupted her. "I'm not the brightest person on the planet but even I'm not that dim."

"I'm sorry, I really didn't want to involve you." She told them. She looked to Monty. "I'm trying to keep other people away from me, out of my business, other people that tried to help me…bad things happened…"

"Well I hate to tell you this but civilian casualties are a thing." Victor said sarcastically. "It doesn't really matter if you want other people involved or not. That thing attacked us anyway, we're involved!"

"I'm truly, sorry, really I am." Viera said to them regretfully, touching Monty's cheek gently. "I promise, I'll get you out of this, I'll…LOOK OUT!"

She shoved Monty to the ground and leapt over him, kicking straight through a Basher Bot as it came towards them, smashing it to pieces. She picked up its sword and continued into others that had clearly just come with it as part of a searching party. Victor and Monty could both only watch, wide-eyed and silent as she finished off the last of them, before returning to them, keeping the sword in her hand in case others showed up.

"You're…not from Idaho, are you?" Victor said.

"Indiana." Monty corrected him. Viera just looked to them both.

"I can't explain now, there's no time." She told them. "But trust me, we need to get to the school."

With that, she ran off. Victor whispered to Monty.

"I think I see the appeal." He said.

"She's…my princess." Monty sighed as they both started to run after her, hoping that they would keep close enough to her that she could take care of any more attacks.

Back at the Ranger Base, the team were channelling their energy into Calvin's generator, holding onto their morphers as tightly as they could as they struggled to maintain control.

Calvin stared into the generator, watching as it pulsed with light, turning their energy into power that was being focused into the Power Star.

"It's working!" He called out. "Just a little more!"

"Cal…I can barely hold on!" Hayley protested.

"Trust me, it's almost there!" Calvin stated. "Just a little more!"

Mick marvelled as the Power Star started to glow, taking on the charge it needed.

"Guys, that's it!" He yelled. "Back it off!"

The Rangers released their hold, feeling a little woozy and backing away from the generator as Calvin went to check on the Power Star. He was exhausted and felt like he could sleep for a week, but he was energised, thrilled to see the results of his work. He picked it up, examining it, before taking up position opposite the Nexus Prism.

"Alright, the proof is in the pudding." Calvin said, winding up. "And here we GO!"

He launched the Power Star, which sank into the Nexus Prism. The Prism started to glow brightly and spin furiously. Calvin smiled as the team came to congratulate him.

"You did it Calvin, that's amazing!" Hayley gushed as she held him tightly.

"Yeah, you are all kinds of awesome!" Sarah agreed, fist-bumping the Yellow Ranger. Unfortunately, the whole celebration seemed somewhat premature. The alarms started to sound, alerting the team to trouble in the city.

"It looks like Cosmo decided not to wait around." Preston told them, checking one of the monitors. "Forcefear's back and he's taken a major growth spurt."

"The Ultrazord Star isn't ready yet." Sarah said, looking to the Nexus Prism. "Without it, we won't be able to throw enough power his way to break his forcefield."

"How long until the Ultrazord Star is ready?" Levi asked. Mick just shook his head.

"I have no idea." He told them. "The Nexus Prism kind of has its own time scale."

"We have to go and intercept Forcefear." Brody announced.

"But without it…"

"If we wait, Forcefear could tear half the city down uncontested." Brody reminded them. "We don't have a choice."

He pulled out the Lion Fire Armour Star and Lion Fire Zord Star, handing them to Calvin.

"This is your show. You take the lead." Brody told him. "We'll back you up."

"Mick, contact us the second that Ultrazord Star is ready." Calvin told him, standing ready. "Alright, I've always wanted to do this. Lion Fire Armour Star…ACTIVATE!"


	44. Forcefear Falls

The Rangers arrived at the battle site, finding Forcefear already beginning to tear down buildings. Of all the monsters they had faced, no matter how their plans went or their overall strategy, the one thing that seemed consistent among all of them was that the beginning of the plan always seemed to consist of some variation of start smashing things up and wait until the Rangers arrived. Calvin was front and centre of the formation, resplendent in the Lion Fire Armour that Brody had lent him as he stared up at Forcefear.

"Alright Mick, we're here." Calvin called through the communicator. "How's the Prism looking?"

"Still working on it." Mick informed him. "It looks like even the Prism knows how powerful this thing is going to be."

"Right, keep us updated." Calvin told him. "In the meantime, we need to keep him busy. Lion Fire Zord, ACTIVATE!"

Forcefear was distracted from his destruction as he heard the roar of engines and the Lion Ship flew into view. He didn't have time to get up a shield before he was blasted to the ground. As the Lion Ship landed, Calvin leapt aboard and formed up the Lion Fire Megazord.

"Wow, no wonder Brody likes this thing! It feels incredible!" Calvin stated as he took up his place in the driver's seat. "Not too keen on the exposed control though. It gives great peripheral vision but it feels kind of exposed..."

"Cal, are you seriously critiquing the Zord's design right now?" Brody's voice came over his communicator, snapping his attention back to what he was doing.

"Oh, shoot, right!" Calvin said, grabbing the controls. "Alright, let's give this a try. Lion Fire Spin Strike! Final ATTACK!"

"I don't think so!" Forcefear cackled as he pulled up a forcefield. The star rebounded off the forcefield, speeding straight back towards the Megazord. Calvin flinched as it hit the chest only a little way over his head.

"OK, I am REALLY not loving this exposed cockpit!" He commented. "Guys, can I get a hand up here?"

"We're way ahead of you!" Brody said as the Ninja Steel Megazord came into view, swinging for Forcefear. He again brought up his forcefield, blocking their attack.

"You can throw anything you want at me! I can do this all day!" Forcefear taunted them as he fired back, blasting the Megazord down. The Bullrider Megazord took up position.

"Rodeo Rapid Blast!" Levi called out as he rained down energy blasts. A couple got through, but Forcefear managed to get his forcefield up and returned fire, forcing Levi to take evasive action.

"Damn it, we need to shut down those forcefields." Levi commented. As the Megazord returned to its feet, Calvin held up a hand.

"Guys, I just noticed something." Calvin told them. "Forcefear has a scar on his back from where the Green guy attacked him!"

"Yeah, good for him." Preston said sarcastically. "We have bigger things to worry about!"

"Also, a couple of Levi's shots got through before he turned around." Calvin told them. "Guys...his forcefield. It's like a shield!"

"That's kind of the point..."

"No, you don't get it, it's like a shield! I remembered something from Mr Morrison's history class!" Calvin told them. "The Spartans used to form up a shield wall called a phalanx formation. It was virtually impenetrable from the front."

"That's really fascinating but..."

"But when they faced opponents with fast cavalry they could be surprised and taken down by fast cavalry!" Calvin explained. "They would be vulnerable from the side or the back!"

"Wait, I think I see what he's saying." Sarah said as realisation hit her. "He's only blocked attacks he could see coming! He can only put up forcefields to the front!"

"So if we get to the side or the back..."

"He's still tough, but we can actually hit the son of a bitch!" Calvin concluded.

"Alright, you heard the man, new play. Until we get that Ultrazord Star, keep moving. We're going to try and surround him, keep him focused on one direction at a time and then hit him from all the other sides."

"OK, I'll lead from the front." Calvin told him. "The rest of you fan out! Let's give this guy hell!"

In another part of the city, Trevor had left the hospital after his run-in with his colleague at the hospital and tried to get his mind back on his job, but after a while he realised that he couldn't concentrate and had gone to a nearby diner to get something to eat.

He didn't know how he had ended up here. He had sought to make the city safer, to bring an end to the constant warfare and carnage in his city. He had seen more than enough of both to last several lifetimes, and while he loved his job, one thing he had loved about being stationed to Summer Cove was that it was quiet. He could spend days at a time genuinely helping his community rather than just cleaning up the mess left behind by others. He loved nothing more than giving directions, checking in on people on his route that weren't able to get out as often as they used to and other good deeds. Yes, he even loved it when he got really silly little stereotyped call outs like getting cats out of trees. He cared more about making his community a better and happier place than he did arresting anyone for committing crimes.

Unfortunately he had watched as his beloved home had been changed completely. He had seen the city that had once prided itself on its neighbourhood camaraderie and community spirit and had descended into a place where many were seeking to leave town and many that couldn't afford to were driven by instinct to fortify their own position at the expense of neighbours they had been lifelong friends with only weeks before. He had been called to supermarkets in the wake of monster attacks finding people fighting over tinned foods and bottled water, panic buying to shore them up in case they got cut off and isolated by the damage caused. He had seen such desperation before, but it broke his heart now to see it in his own country, right on his own doorstep...and it filled him with rage!

Back in Afghanistan, many years before, Trevor and his unit were dealing with the site of yet another massacre when he had heard explosions and seen smoke rising in the distance. His heart filled with dread as he realised he had been there only a few days earlier. It had been home to an emergency medical evacuation point.

The truck hadn't even come to a full stop when Trevor threw himself out the door, hitting the ground at a run and heading up some rubble, taking a position to survey the action. The medical unit had moved on, being called to another area, but the village was still in flames and he could see the corpses strewn all around.

"FAN OUT!" Trevor yelled to his men over the comms. "I want the whole village locked down! If any of the sons of bitches are still here I want them alive, we can't question corpses!"

While the term 'building' was a little subjective given the destruction, they moved through the structures, sweeping for any signs of anyone who was still around, but Trevor quickly became sure they were already too late. He broke into one of the buildings finding a sickening scene of carnage. It was clear this place was being used as a clinic, the patient was still on the table but the staff and the patient had been riddled with bullets. One of the oldest and most fiercely held rules of combat was that medics were considered neutral and off-limits as targets. Trevor saw a familiar face and his heart fell.

"Victor." He whispered, setting his rifle down. He made his way over to the young man, but almost jumped out his skin as he suddenly gasped, feeling a hand on him.

"GET A MEDIC IN HERE!" Trevor called out. "WE'VE GOT A LIVE WITNESS!"

He didn't have much more than basic skills in first aid, but he started to get to work, finding the most serious wound and putting pressure on it.

"Sergeant Marx...it...it was..."

"Don't try to talk; we're going to get you help." Trevor told him. Victor held up a hand.

"It would be a waste." Victor told him.

"Don't talk like that." Trevor told him. "Where's that damn medic?"

"Those men, they came in here, burst in...I told them there were no soldiers here. They opened fire anyway." Victor gasped as he fought for breath, trying to tell Trevor what happened in what little time he had left. "They didn't care. They wanted only to kill, they did not care who."

"Victor, tell me, who did this?" Trevor asked him as the medic finally arrived. Victor looked into his eyes.

"I could not see their faces, only masks." He told him. "I feel I will tell you more after I die than I can before."

"Come on, there has to be something..."

"There's nothing I can do." The medic told him. "I'd have given this kid even odds if he was taken to surgery almost straight away. After this long...the best I can do is make him comfortable."

Trevor looked to the medic, and then to Trevor. He took the young man's hand and looked straight into his eyes.

"I'll get the bastards who did this, I promise." Trevor told him, before nodding to the medic. He took the cap off a morphine syrrette an jabbed it into Victor's leg, squeezing the packet. Victor just held onto Trevor's hand.

"More." He stated. Trevor looked to the medic and nodded. A single syrrette was enough to knock out a patient from combat trauma. By ordering more he knew that what he was ordering was euthanasia. The medic jammed in the second syrrette as Trevor held onto Victor's hand. He felt the young man slipping away. The medic didn't even need the third syrrette, but gave it anyway just to make sure he felt nothing in his final moments. Other members of Trevor's unit came in, finding Trevor over the young man. They knew he had gotten on well with him when they met.

"Serge, I'm sorry..."

"Get a body bag." Trevor told him. The man just stared at him blankly.

"We should wait on the forensic unit..."

"Get a body bag!" Trevor reiterated. "Something about all this stinks and I'm not having more evidence disappearing. We're taking this one to the lab ourselves."

"Sir, I know he was a friend..."

"Don't make me order you again!" Trevor warned him. The man just nodded and went to search for a body bag or something he could use as one. Trevor just looked to Victor and felt his rage burning. He would make sure that the lab would have all the evidence they needed, even if he had to stand guard over his friend every step of the way.

Back in the present, Trevor's attention was snapped back to reality as he heard explosions. Looking around, he saw the Megazords and Forcefear a few blocks away, locked in a deadly firefight right in the heart of the city. He pulled out some notes, throwing them onto the table to pay for his food and ran out of the cafe, heading right for the battle. His eyes started glowing green as he picked up speed.

Back at the site of the battle, the Rangers were chipping away at Forcefear, attacking whenever they had an opening. He was still tough enough to take what they threw at him, but after figuring out how to circumvent his forcefield, they were able to at least do something to him.

"I don't care if we have to take you one piece at a time, we're taking you down!" Calvin stated as he smashed his weapons into the forcefield, keeping Forcefear's attention on him as Levi got into position. He opened fire from behind, peppering him with shots.

"OW! Three on one? FIGHT FAIR damn you!" Forcefear yelled as his howitzer turned towards Levi and fired back. He took the full brunt of the blast, his controls sparking and warnings flashing.

"Whatever we do, we need to take care of that weapon!" Levi told them. "I'm not sure I can take another hit like that!"

"Guys, I have some great news!" Mick told them. "Guess who's got a shiny new Ultrazord Star in his hand right now?"

"Mick you are a life-saver!" Calvin called out.

"Alright, it's coming in hot!" Mick warned him. "Heads up Calvin!"

Calvin looked up to the heavens in time to see a bright streak coming his way. He snatched the Ultrazord Star out of the air with a bright smile. He stared at it, and could feel the power coming from it.

"Good arm Mick, thanks!" Calvin told him. "Alright guys, form up on me! Ultrazord transformation ACTIVATE!"

"Time to take this for a spin!" Preston said as the Bullrider Megazord and Megazord came either side of the Lion Fire Megazord. Hitting it, they spun the whole torso around, revealing an alcove in the front. Levi activated his controls, breaking up his own Megazord and forming into artillery. The Ninja Steel Megazord leapt into the alcove in the front, taking up position as the Rangers all appeared in the cockpit.

"Oh wow, this is incredible!" Hayley gasped.

"These power levels are amazing!" Levi gasped, looking at his display. "Oh, Forcefear is for it now!"

"Alright, let's see what this thing can do!" Calvin called out. "OPEN FIRE!"

Forcefear formed up a forcefield which blocked the first few salvos, but they team could already see cracks forming. Pouring on the power, they smashed through, sending Forcefear tumbling away. Calvin leapt out of the Megazord, straight at Forcefear.

"Alright, I'm taking care of this personally!" He yelled, slicing apart the howitzer on his back. It fell into pieces before Forcefear could even regain his feet, leaving him unarmed. Calvin returned to the Ultrazord, landing on top of its head.

"OK, who else is totally done with this boglin?" Hayley asked. Calvin smiled.

"You read my mind Hayls." He replied. "Lock on all weapons! Ninja Steel Ultrazord, FINAL ATTACK!"

The Rangers channelled all their power into the weapons, turning all of them to maximum power and opening up on Forcefear. They watched as he started to stagger, sparking as he swayed.

"This isn't meant to happen!" He complained as he fell to the ground and exploded. Inside the Ultrazord, the Rangers all celebrated.

"Yeah, now THAT is what I'm talking about!" Calvin said excitedly. "Show's over, Ninjas..."

He fell silent, and the other Rangers did likewise as the sky started to turn dark. Thick, dark clouds formed up overhead. They could see green lightning starting to arc through the clouds.

"...win?" Calvin gulped uncertainly. Just then, a massive green lightning bolt came down, knocking him clean off the top of the Ultrazord. The Rangers could see him hitting the concrete far below, shattering the concrete and creating a huge crater.

"CALVIN!" Hayley screamed. They all looked to the screen as the vision of Psycho Green appeared before them.

"I'd be more worried about myself if I were you!" He called back.

"I don't care who you are, you do NOT attack the Rangers like that and get away with it!" Hayley called back. The others just stared at her. "What?"

"You can understand him?" Brody asked.

"I switched language again didn't I?" Hayley asked. They all nodded. "Well, I'll tell you all later, but needless to say he wasn't congratulating us on our victory!"

"Where the hell is he?" Preston complained. In answer to that, green lightning arced through the whole cockpit, shocking the Rangers painfully, causing them to scream in agony and sending their systems into a full alert. Psycho Green appeared in the centre of the room.

"I'm right here!" He announced. "Consider this an eviction notice!"

The Rangers had no time to recover as he ploughed straight through them, attacking them with a fury none of them had ever seen. They were all thrown unceremoniously from their Zord, landing on the street a little way from Calvin. Psycho Green appeared in a bolt of lightning directly in front of them, facing them down.

"Since you can talk to him, any chance you can explain to him we're the good guys?" Sarah asked Hayley. The White Ranger shook her head.

"I doubt it would make a difference." She replied.

"Then we deal with this the only way we can!" Brody answered as Psycho Green came right for them. "TAKE HIM DOWN!"

In another area of the city, Viera, Monty and Victor were heading towards the school, which was now in sight. Neither Victor nor Monty knew the kind of support they'd get at the school, but it was the only thing that Viera could think of to save them.

She turned and helped Monty up some stairs as he stumbled, exhausted. She knew that bringing Victor and Monty to the Rangers would mean they would learn of their secret. The team would have to explain everything and she would have to find a way to make up to her friends the fact she had blown their cover, but she really couldn't see a way around it. Monty stumbled into her arms as they got to the top of the stairs.

"It's not far now." She told them. "We're almost there!"

Unfortunately, before they could go any further, a flash of light came and they found themselves surrounded by Basher Bots. Viera smashed down the first of them with her sword.

"No, not now! We're so close!" She screamed. One of them ripped Monty from her grip. "MONTY!"

With a huge yell, Victor ran full-speed at the robot, hitting the tackle of his life, knocking the robot off his friend. He was quickly dragged off as others started to beat on him. Viera had the skills she had spent a lifetime honing, and just hoped she could destroy the last of the robots before either of them died. Her fortune turned though when there was another flash of light. Madame Odious and Galvanax appeared before her. She watched as Galvanax strode into the fray, knocking Victor out cold with a single punch...at least she sincerely hoped he was only knocked out. The way he went down it was impossible to tell. He then grabbed Monty by the arm and yanking him to his feet.

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Galvanax screamed at her. "Which one of you assaulted Madame Odious?"

"It was that one!" Odious snapped, pointing to Victor. Viera could see that Odious' mask now had a long crack down the side through one of the eyes, the one Victor had attacked, and there was some blood that had run down the mask. Galvanax looked to him and sneered.

"Bring him to me!" He ordered one of the Basher Bots. Viera intercepted it, cutting it down.

"Leave them alone!" Viera screamed at him. "If it's me you want, I'm right here!"

"Please, your father was no match for me and he had so much more power than you do. You don't even have a decent weapon." Galvanax taunted her. He looked to Monty, hanging by his one arm and grabbed the other one. "In fact, this looks familiar doesn't it? I wonder how much it will take?"

He started to pull outwards. Tears streamed down Viera's face as she heard Monty let out a bone-chilling scream of agony. She had seen the show in which her father had taken on Galvanax. The image of seeing her father having his arms torn from his body was still etched deeply in her mind. Viera threw down her sword and fell to her knees.

"STOP!" She screamed at them. "Please, I beg you! You can take me but please, leave him alone!"

"Oh, we'll take you alright. There are people in your home galaxy who will pay a fine price to see you back." Odious told her, going over to the Mega Mag, picking it up. "But it isn't you we want."

"The Mega Mag?" Viera asked.

"How does it work?" Galvanax asked.

"Don't tell him!" Monty yelled. Galvanax just stared at him.

"You're not in much of a position to suggest such a course of action." Galvanax told him. "It is only because I'm sure you will be much more useful with your arms than I'm letting you keep them. Of course, no one said you need legs."

"Monty, please I beg you just do what he wants!" Viera begged him. "I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you!" Odious started to stroke her face gently.

"I'm glad you're finally seeing things our way." She replied. "Bring them! We'll continue this discussion in the Champ's chambers! I have a feeling they'll be a little more talkative there."


	45. A Different Kind of Green

In Afghanistan, many years ago, Trevor made his way through the command outpost, heading straight for the Commanding Officer's office. He was livid, so furious that he didn't stop to acknowledge any of the many people on his way in. He breezed straight past the front desk, he shoved a security officer out of the way, he even ignored completely the CO's secretary as he pounded on the door. He had blood on his uniform, having come straight from the forensics lab. He had brought Victor's corpse to the lab personally and he had stood over the Medical Examiner as he performed his autopsy. He hadn't bothered to change or clean up.

"Sergeant Marx, the General is busy!" The receptionist protested.

"I know he's in there, I saw the light on from outside!" Trevor roared, pounding on the door angrily. The security officers tried to pull him away.

"Alright Sergeant Marx, it's time to…" The guard holding Trevor fell away as he punched him straight in the face, knocking him out in a single shot. The other went for his baton but joined his comrade on the floor before it even cleared his belt. Trevor, no longer with the patience used his size twelve as a master key, kicking the door open and ripping the lock straight off the inside.

"What in the world?" The General demanded.

"I'm sorry sir, we tried to stop…"

Trevor slammed an evidence bag onto the table, containing some blood-stained bullets. He glared straight at the General.

"I have no problem discussing this in front of them." Trevor stated. "But I have a feeling you might want to clear the room."

The General sighed and gestured to the others to leave. He closed the door behind them, before looking to Trevor.

"You better make this good Marx." The General told him. "I've had people discharged for less."

"I just had those rounds pulled out of a local medical volunteer from the site of the latest massacre." Trevor told him.

"They found bullets?" He asked. "I thought…"

"I accompanied the body myself, funny how the evidence didn't go missing when I did that." Trevor told him. "Those are M4 rounds."

"Huh." The General replied.

"Is that all you have to say? Huh?" He responded. "All the locals use AK's. They're common on the market and they're easy to operate. They've got kids running around with those damn things. OUR side uses M4s!"

The General just stared at him.

"You're saying you think our guys…?"

"See, that would be a good theory, but I managed to speak with the victim before he died." Trevor told him. "He said that the attackers wore masks. Just like the Ghosts."

"Marx…"

"You want to know a couple of interesting things I found out? The Ghosts use M4s. I checked and they got their supplies from us." Trevor continued. "I also followed the paper trail and found out that their contract is paid out through this office which means you're the one that's paying them!"

"Marx, I'm warning you…"

"You could have easily ordered that evidence destroyed. You could have my investigation hampered and you were the one that hired those mercs." Trevor ranted. "They're acting on your orders, aren't they?"

"Marx, I am this close to sending you to a Courts Marshall…"

"DIDN'T YOU?" Trevor demanded. The General didn't say anything, instead taking a seat behind his desk.

"We're here to secure the region Marx. We need to be sure that the guys we're hunting, the guys who are taking pot shots at us every day aren't hiding in plain sight." The General told him, getting a bottle of water out of a mini fridge and opening it, taking a sip. "We had to be sure that the locals weren't harbouring any sympathies. Weren't hiding anything. Now, you know that it would be…uncomfortable for our guys to be involved in such things."

"So, you hired mercs to do the dirty work for you. People who wouldn't think twice about firing on non-combatants." Trevor said, feeling his temper rising. "They've been murdering civilians! Women and children! Medics! All on YOUR orders!"

"And now people are scared!" The General stated. "So scared, they'll welcome anyone that will keep them safe."

"They were civilians." Trevor reiterated. "You're going to the Hague for this!"

"You see, that's where you're wrong Marx. I'm not going anywhere." The General told him. "You see, there are people back home, important people, that think I'm doing a good job. They kind of like the way things are going out here. Do you really think they'll listen to some jumped up MP with a wild conspiracy theory?"

"They'll find it hard to argue once I bring in The Ghosts." Trevor told him.

"And you don't think I've already thought of that?" He asked. "Consider this a direct order from a superior officer. The Ghosts aren't to be touched."

"I don't work for you…"

"That's where you're wrong Marx. In this region I'm the Commanding Officer, which means everything that goes on here is down to me." He stated. "You're only here because I allowed it because you have a reputation for being by-the-book. I was expecting a routine look and then declare the case unsolved but you just couldn't leave it alone."

He took a long slug from his water and smirked at Trevor. Every fibre in his being wanted to act, to grab the General and put him in cuffs, but he already knew that if he did, there would be a mountain of red tape that would block his every move. If he even managed to somehow get a hearing, he would have an uphill struggle and if The General did manage to get off, Trevor would be brought up on charges himself for accusing a superior officer. He considered lashing out, but he knew that wouldn't do him any good either.

"Forget what you've seen here Marx." The General told him. "You might just have a career if you just learn to leave things alone that aren't anything to do with you."

With that, he dismissively waved him out the door. Trevor left the office, stepping over the men who were just starting to come to. He knew that The General was untouchable here. He could do nothing, and it sickened him to his core. He got outside where the rest of his unit was waiting.

"Serge, what happened?" One of them asked. Trevor didn't answer. How could he tell his men he was being asked to simply stand and do nothing as innocent people were being murdered?

"We've been ordered off the case." He finally managed to say. The men reacted pretty much exactly as he expected. They wanted to know why. They shouted their protests, they demanded to know what was said. Trevor couldn't help looking down at his uniform, still covered with the blood of his friend. He tensed up and looked to his men. "The General said we've to pack up and leave."

"Sergeant, how can we let this go?" One of them demanded. He brought out a map. "I've been checking the attacks, finding a pattern of movements, we can figure out the likely targets…"

Trevor didn't hear the rest, instead looking to his uniform once more. Something inside him snapped and he grabbed his kit bag and his weapon.

"Where are the likely targets?" He asked. The man handed him a map with a few villages marked. "What I'm about to do is against orders. I can't ask any of you to come…"

"You're not asking!" Another stated with authority. Trevor gestured to their truck.

"Then move out!" Trevor called out as they mounted up and pulled out, heading for the nearest of the predicted targets.

Back in Summer Cove in the current day, the Rangers were once again battling Psycho Green, and it was not going well. They hadn't even had a chance to recover from their battles with Forcefear before he attacked, throwing them out of their own Zords.

"LEVI!" Brody called out as he saw the Gold Ranger flying face-first into a pillar. His visor splintered and his helmet almost cracked right open from the force of the blow. Brody went after Psycho Green, throwing himself at him in a fury, losing all of his composure and with it, his technique. Psycho Green managed to disarm him, before bearing him to the ground. His dagger appeared in his hand and he powered it up, preparing to drive it straight down into him.

Hayley rushed at him, tacking Psycho Green off him and rolling away, before they both regained their feet. Psycho Green was a little faster off the mark though, knocking her sword from her hand and raking his dagger down. Hayley's helmet got in the way, taking the brunt of it, sparing her life with only a deep gouge to show for it. His follow-up kick though, which was powered up by green lightning was a lot more telling. As it connected, Hayley could feel at least one, possibly more of her ribs caving inward and all the air leaving her body. She fell to the ground, her vision tinged in red as Preston and Sarah fired on him, giving her an opening to drag herself away.

"Alright, I've had ENOUGH of this guy!" Calvin yelled, seeing the state his girlfriend was in, anger flaring up as he saw her flopping to the ground behind Hayley and Preston, barely able to move. He powered up his sword. "Lion Fire Armour, FINAL STRIKE!"

He brought the blade down, burning through the air straight into Psycho Green. He hit the ground and started sparking, but he was still moving, still struggling. Calvin could see his armour had cracked, and although he had given almost everything in the blow, he started to power up again. His head felt fuzzy, his legs started to quiver as Calvin summoned up every last bit of energy he could. All his love, all his hate, into one blow.

"Lion Fire Armour, FINAL STRIKE!" He screamed, once again bringing down the sword. Before it could land though, a portal opened behind Psycho Green and he was pulled through. Calvin's strike landed, tearing up the street, following which he passed out, flopping to the ground. The team grabbed him and were helping him up when the SWAT team arrived.

"Oh, come ON!" Preston complained as they disembarked and started to come their way, training weapons on them. "Can we all catch just ONE break?"

Just then, a figure in a suit of high-tech battle armour arrived, landing on the ground between them and the SWAT team. The stranger launched some kind of disks into the vehicles behind them, following which the guns were snatched straight from their hands and stuck to the sides of the trucks.

"How…how did…?"

"Elector magnetism." The stranger said in a distorted voice. "The power won't last long. I suggest you do one of your disappearing acts and regroup back at the school."

"The school?" Preston asked. "How would you know…?"

"Do you really want to debate this right now?" The stranger asked. "Don't worry Brody, I'll provide the smoke screen this time."

The stranger set off a smoke bomb, obscuring them all from view. Given the circumstances, the Rangers didn't think it wise to stick around and question things too deeply. They could figure out who their saviour was later.

Up on the Warrior Dome, Trevor was trying to get his bearings. He didn't know how he had gotten here, or even where here was, but it wasn't like his blackouts. He hadn't lost any time, he had literally been snatched from the battle and brought here.

He didn't know what to expect, probably some kind of cell or something, but he was in what could only be described as a banquet hall. It was far more ornate than anything he had ever been able to afford going to on a soldiers' or a cops' salary. It was so full of the trappings of wealth and luxury it had long since passed the point of obscene. Sculptures, paintings, architecture decorated with precious metals and gems all existed for no other purpose than to make it clear whoever owned this place cared nothing for the expense. There was a long table in the middle that would serve his entire precinct, surrounded by carved chairs and loaded with all kinds of food and drink, even things that he couldn't recognise at first, until his armour started to give him some recognition. Many of these delicacies weren't from Earth, or even this galaxy! He looked to the top of the table where he could see three creatures loading up plates like they had not seen food in days. They were filthy, dishevelled creatures that looked like they belonged like rats in a restaurant.

"Oh my…look who it is! He actually did it!" A short, blue creature said, putting down his plate and dropping to his knees. A name flashed through Trevor's mind, telling him this creature was called Squatt. Squatt fell to his knees before him. "Psycho Green!"

"We couldn't believe it when we saw you were still…" Baboo tried to find a way to say 'alive' without angering him as he too fell to his knees. The third creature did likewise. He somehow heard the name of this creature to be Finster.

"What my colleague means to say is…we are all delighted to see you!" Finster told him. Trevor was now more confused than ever. He was getting information in his mind, he knew these creatures had once served under those that attacked the Earth before. He had been a child but he still remembered hearing the names Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd.

"What am I doing here?" Trevor asked. He shook his head as he remembered that in his armour people didn't understand him.

"You're here because I brought you here." Cosmo said as he arrived. He gestured around the walls. "Oh, in case you're curious, there are universal translators built into the walls here. I find it makes things so much easier. My clients and customers speak quite literally billions of languages and I can't guarantee they will always have a common tongue."

"Them I know…somehow." Trevor told him, before pointing at him. "YOU I don't! What do you want?"

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Cosmo Royale, owner, proprietor, CEO and creative genius behind Galaxy Warriors! The most popular TV show in the universe!"

"Let me guess, you're the asshole that's been sending monsters to Earth for months!" Trevor snapped. Cosmo just held up his hands.

"Guilty as charged I'm afraid!" He told him. "Now, as for what I want…"

"I'm not really concerned what you want!" Trevor told him. "This is MY planet…"

"And believe me, you can have it! I have no interest in the Earth!" Cosmo told him bluntly. "All I want is what the Rangers have. They are keeping something from me, a great source of power that they stole from me. Once I have that back, and I've destroyed them on my show, to be honest, your planet really isn't of any interest to me."

Cosmo lit up a cigar, looking to him.

"I have a proposition for you. My new associates here have told me a lot about you. Your reputation really does precede you." Cosmo told him. "The way I see it our interests are aligned."

"I don't see how your monsters destroying my planet is in my interests." Trevor growled. Cosmo just smiled.

"Well, it doesn't have to be that way." He told him. "You're going to fight the Rangers, anyway right? The way I see it, I can help you with that. I send some of my forces to help and you let me film it all. Make a little money out of the whole proceedings."

"Mercenaries?" Trevor asked him.

"I wouldn't phrase it like that, but if you want to, that's up to you." Cosmo replied. "Who knows, maybe once this is done, we can continue to do business. I can be very…generous. Just ask your comrades here."

"Oh yes, he's VERY generous!" Baboo assured him.

"Yeah, once we've eaten here, he's going to let us choose a whole new wardrobe all on his expense!" Squatt rushed out. Trevor looked to them and then back to Cosmo.

"Money, you really think I'm interested in money?" Trevor asked.

"Well, you can have the Earth of course." Cosmo rushed out. "To rule over as you see fit."

"Rule my own planet?" Trevor asked. "NO DEAL!"

He hit Cosmo with a power wave, slamming him against a bulkhead before he disappeared in a flash of lightning. Baboo and Squatt helped Cosmo to his feet.

"What happened?" He demanded. "I thought you knew him!"

"Well…we didn't so much MEET him per se." Finster clarified. "We knew him by reputation, but his actions…they're as much a surprise to us as they are to you!"

"Yeah, Psycho Green was so vicious almost every member of the United Alliance of Evil was terrified of him!" Squatt told him. "He never cared about any planet, let alone its people!"

"Really?" Cosmo asked. "Then why the change of heart now?"

Several years ago, in Afghanistan, The Ghosts started to make their way towards a village, the latest on their hit-list. They started to fan out and look through the streets, trying to find any signs of any guards. Although they were hired to hit civilian targets, they couldn't rule out a few with weapons. They were cold and callous, but they were also careful. They had been formed from former members of some of the deadliest Special Forces units from all around the globe.

"You find anything?" One of them asked across his comms.

"No, it's all quiet." Another answered. "I haven't heard so much as a peep."

"Something's not right here." Another stated. "I wasn't expecting much in the way of guards, but…I haven't even seen any civilians."

"I've got an empty building over here." Yet another said.

"What the hell is going on?" One of them asked. Just then, floodlights came on, bringing the whole village into light. Trevor and his unit all appeared, preparing their weapons.

"We already moved the civilians to another location!" Trevor called out. "Sergeant Trevor Marx, Military Police! This ends now!"

"Military cops?" One of The Ghosts asked, the one that Trevor presumed was the leader as his men started to emerge. "I guess you didn't get the memo. We've got friends out here. You can't arrest us!"

"Who said anything about arresting you?" Trevor screamed. "LIGHT THEM UP!"

The Ghosts opened fire as the first salvo took down two of their number before they could get to cover.


	46. Calvin's Apology

**A/N:** OK, first to start off on a little note. Apologies for the hiatus, I had a health issue that pretty much floored me for the last week or so and I'm afraid writing has had to suffer the inevitable consequences. On another note, the ending of the first section of the Ninja Steel storyline is coming to an end, so that is going to bring up the inevitable questions I'm sure regarding Beast Morphers. Well, the simple answer is Yes, yes, I WILL write Beast Morphers, though I cannot guarantee when I'll be starting it. I still have Super Steel to get through, and while I may streamline it a little due to the number of filler episodes and throw in a few of my own storylines to bring everything around, I'm making no promises when that'll end. Just rest assured that Beast Morphers will be covered at some point.

Anyway, thank you for your patience and on we go!

Over at the Ranger Base, Hayley flinched and wriggled a little as she stared at one of the screens.

"Sarah, would you quit that?" Hayley said, in a stilted tone as she watched the footage Mick had of Psycho Green's first battle with them. "Sarah, seriously that makes it really hard to concentrate!"

"I'm sorry, I'm just trying to fix your fractured ribs here." Sarah said, withdrawing her hand from Hayley's side. "You think YOU'RE distracted? At least you're not sitting half-naked in front of all your friends!"

The nature of Sarah's power meant that when she took the pain of others, she took it into herself. It was empathy taken to a physical level. While it wasn't a straightforward transfer, for instance she didn't break one of her bones in exchange for someone else's, a wound would open up on her. She had since learned for the sake of not having to explain blood-stained clothing to her parents she'd have to either store a whole bunch of clothing at the Ranger Base or strip down as much as dignity would allow until her own healing factor sealed the wounds. The guys, with the exception of Calvin who had told them he had something he needed to attend to at home, were all sitting in the corner, their hands clamped over their eyes.

"Are you nearly done there guys?" Mick asked, unable to see through his hands.

"I'd be done a lot quicker if this one would stop wriggling!" Sarah complained. Hayley let out a bit of a shrieking laugh as Sarah touched her. "What?"

"I'm just…really…really ticklish." She answered. "Calvin sometimes calls me tickle-me…"

"It's fine, I'm done here." Sarah rushed out, heading over to her clothes. She pointed to the guys. "NO! I will tell you when you can look!"

"So, any idea what he's saying?" Mick asked her.

"I…I know exactly what he's saying it just doesn't make any sense." Hayley told him. "When the cops start firing on him, he turns to them and asks them to stop."

"You don't think that makes sense?" Preston asked her.

"No, he ASKS them to stop!" Hayley told them. "He then goes on to say he's on their side!"

"THEIR SIDE?" Levi asked. "He blasted them just the same as he blasted us! Half of them are still in ICU!"

"The way he said it, I can't explain it, it's like…it's like he genuinely believes that they're on his side and should be fighting with him." Hayley answered.

"Well fat chance of that happening now." Brody stated. "This Green Guy is probably the only person in the city that those cops hate more than us right now."

"Psycho Green." They heard someone say. They all immediately looked in the direction of the voice, completely forgetting about the fact Sarah was in her underwear. The stranger in the powered armour was standing in their base. "His name is Psycho Green."

"I thought we were getting good at the ninja thing." Preston muttered.

"Look, we're really grateful about your help before, but we don't exactly have this place sign-posted." Brody stated. "So, who are you, how do you know about us and what do you know about this guy?"

The stranger pulled off her helmet, revealing her identity. Grey hair spilled out of the helmet as she looked to them.

"My name is…"

"GRACE STERLING!" Sarah squealed, running over to her and shaking her hand vigorously. "Oh my God, oh my God, Grace Sterling is here in our lab! GRACE STERLING!"

"OK, so apparently Sarah knows who you are." Brody commented as the team all started to look around. Sarah looked confused for a moment, before turning bright red.

"Oh SHIT!" She screamed, running and grabbing her clothes, before heading behind some equipment to get dressed.

"That still doesn't explain how you know about us or about this guy." Levi continued the questioning. Grace put her helmet down on the table.

"I know about you because I've been looking over your shoulder and cleaning up after you all for months. I have to say you're getting better, but it's not been easy." Grace told them. "As for Psycho Green, I know him because he's been in my nightmares for almost fifty years."

"Fifty years?" Mick asked her. "But…how…?"

"We share more than an interest in defeating Psycho Green." She told them, before pointing at Brody. "Back in 1969, I had his job."

"1969?" Preston asked. "There weren't Rangers in 1969. The first team didn't show up until 1993!"

"Our story didn't exactly make it into the public sphere. We only went on the one mission, the one to bring down Psycho Green." Grace told them. "It was a mission only two of us came back from."

Grace took a seat on one of the work benches. The others gathered around as Sarah returned, finishing getting dressed. She took a deep breath as she prepared to tell her story.

Up on the Warrior Dome, Viera and Monty were being held by some Kudabots as a few more worked over Victor, beating him as the others were forced to watch. Galvanax watched on, clutching the Mega Mag while Odious sat at his side.

"Leave him alone!" Monty screamed. "STOP! We need him…"

"Oh, you'll excuse me if I have doubts that you really need this one." Odious said dismissively. "It doesn't take a genius like me to figure out that he's not exactly the brains in your little outfit, but he can at least serve as some motivation. In fact,…hold him."

The Kudabots held Victor as he struggled. She pulled out a knife and approached him.

"You tried to take my eye!" She snarled at him. "How about I show you how it's done!"

"NO!" Viera screamed. "Do what you want to me, but…"

"Something tells me the new ruler of the Lion Galaxy would appreciate you getting back in one piece." Odious told her. "I need the scrawny one intact to show us how his device works, but this one…"

"ENOUGH!" Galvanax roared. Odious put her knife away reluctantly. He approached Monty with the Mega Mag. "Show us how this works. I want you to set it to find a very particular form of metal."

"What do you want it to pick up?" Monty asked him. "Gold, silver, iron…"

Galvanax handed him a small fragment of metal, no bigger than a sewing needle. It was glowing purple.

"Ninja Steel!" Viera gasped. "How…how did you get that?"

"The last time we faced off, the Pink Ranger stabbed me through the shoulder." Galvanax recalled. "This was left in the wound. It wasn't enough to fashion any kind of meaningful weapon from, but it will be more than enough for you to find the right setting for this machine."

"Monty, don't do this…"

"You can help us, or you can watch your friends die!" Odious told him. "I know we said the Lion Galaxy would PREFER to get Viera back in one piece…but we could take a reduced price for her remains."

"Monty, please, our lives don't matter!" Viera pleaded with him.

"They do to me." Monty replied regretfully, taking the Mega Mag. He started to alter some settings on it. "This could take a while."

"Don't worry." Galvanax replied as he took a seat on his throne. "I've waited this long. I think I can wait a little longer."

Down at the Maxwell House, Ava was in her garage, replacing the spark plugs she had agreed to. She had already agreed to the work, and she had already had the car a full day longer than promised, the only reason she was even doing the work. She really didn't feel much like doing anything related to engines, she wasn't even sure she wanted to again, but she had to at least make sure her neighbour got her car back.

The spark plug she was holding slipped out of her grip, falling through the engine to the ground. She cursed under her breath. Her mind clearly wasn't on the task in hand. As she started to shift to reach under the car, another hand came through, taking it.

"Let me help you with that." Calvin said as he took it, before offering a hand to help his mom up.

"I…I thought you'd be with your friends." She commented.

"I was, but it's important to spend time with your family too." Calvin told her.

"I thought that was the last thing you'd want." She sighed. Calvin hated seeing his mom like this. He had, even when he was angry with her about the damage to Nitro, but now especially, now he appreciated what she was doing for him he felt so much worse. He didn't even feel this badly when Psycho Green was pounding his whole team into the pavement. His stomach was so knotted and sickened that he didn't know if he'd be able to eat, something that rarely bothered him. His heart felt heavy. "I'm sorry about…"

"You know what mom? You're not the one that needs to be sorry." Calvin told her. "Mom, I was mad and I lashed out at you and you totally didn't deserve that. I know you were trying to help and that's never a bad thing."

"But my part, it blew out your engine…"

"Yeah…about that." Calvin said in a little whisper, pulling a twisted piece of metal out of his bag. His mom took it and looked at it curiously.

"This looks like a patch for a fuel tank." She stated. Calvin just nodded.

"I put that in a few months ago when I got a leak." Calvin told her. "But it was such a routine repair I never factored it into my calculations for how my new part would put stress on the engine. It blew out and the blow back…"

"The blow back is what caused the fuel injector to explode." Ava stated. Calvin just looked to her with regret in his eyes.

"Mom, this would have happened with my part or with yours. It was all my fault." Calvin assured her. "In fact, as near as I can tell, your part was working perfectly until…well…this happened."

"You mean it worked?" Ava asked. He just nodded.

"Mom, when I was a kid, you were the one who got me into engines in the first place." Calvin reminded her. "I was never great at maths until you showed me that most of mechanics is just applied mathematics. Everything I know is down to you."

"Well, not everything." Ava told him. "I took one look at your designs for that fuel injector and I was amazed. I could never have come up with something like that."

"Mom, you're being too hard on yourself…"

"No, I'm serious Calvin. I've seen you grow and I've seen your work on Nitro improve over the years and it's been…it's been like watching you grow up all over again." She said to him proudly. "And then there was a time, I really can't put my finger on it, but a time when all of a sudden you stopped needing to ask me for help so much. Your truck ran a lot better and there were less leaks to plug or parts to replace. I've seen that thing go from the shell we bought from a scrap merchant that broke down every couple of hundred yards to something that runs better than straight off the lot."

She then looked a little sad as she thought about it.

"In fact, somewhere along the way, your work actually looked…better than mine." She told him. Calvin knew his abilities had come along leaps and bounds in the last few months. He had learned a lot from Mick, and his abilities enhanced by his contact with the Ninja Steel allowed him to learn at a much greater rate than he had before. "I guess a part of me was starting to become scared that you're forming this life for yourself and becoming a young man and that I wouldn't be a part of it. I was worried that maybe…maybe you didn't need me anymore."

"Mom, you are an amazing mechanic, and an even better mom." Calvin told her, taking a hold of her hands softly. "And if the day ever comes, you know…some day a long, long time from now, when I have kids, I know for a fact that anything I manage to do right with them will be because of how amazingly you've taught me."

He looked to her and smiled.

"I might not NEED you the same anymore." He replied. "But I'll always WANT you in my life."

Ava grabbed Calvin in a tight hug, squeezing him hard as he reached around to return the gesture. He had always though that his mom's insistence on helping him had just been about her sticking her nose in or not wanting to give him space, but he had never actually thought about the fact that their mechanical projects was just a symptom of another part of their relationship, the fact that as he grew into an adult who in the next few years would possibly be looking at going to college or getting a job and moving out, her role in his life was changing. He always imagined that it would be somewhat of a good thing for parents to see their kids leave the home and have less to worry about, he never imagined though that it also meant a huge change in their own role in life.

"Well, this is nice to see!" Dave said as he arrived in the driveway, carrying some groceries. "What's all this then?"

"Oh, I just realised that it's never a bad thing when parents want to help their kids." Calvin told him. "And I have to say I have some pretty awesome parents."

"You know, I think we have a pretty great kid too." Dave answered. "God knows how THAT happened!"

They all shared a little laugh at the joke, at which Calvin noticed some boxes on the table nearby.

"Is that what I think it is?" He asked.

"It's the parts you ordered. The RIGHT parts." Ava told him. "They came while you were out today."

"Well, since there's going to be a lot of work on Nitro in the near future, how about you help me put this together?" He asked her.

"You really want my help?" Ava asked.

"Well, you have done it before right?" He asked. "Always pick the best pit crew!"

"OK, I'm just going to go and call something in. This sounds like it'll take a while." Dave said as he started to back out the garage.

"Calzone!" Ava and Calvin chorused together. "All the meats, no veg, double cheese with extra sauce…!"

They both pointed to each other and laughed, before starting to tear open the boxes. Dave turned to leave, smiling as he went to the phone.

Back at the Ranger Base, the team finished listening to Graces' story and could hardly believe what they had heard. They knew that monsters could be ancient, Sarah had told them about the Summer Cove team and how most of their enemies had been around for over 65 million years, but this one, a monster that hadn't been active in almost fifty years, somehow seemed all the more terrifying.

"Well, that's not terrifying at all." Levi said sarcastically. "Not only do we have to worry about Galvanax coming for his title defence, which we never even wanted by the way, but we also have to contend with this guy who has actually succeeded in killing three Rangers!"

"Not to mention we still have to find a new source of Ninja Steel." Mick reminded them. "Our options are now running pretty short."

"Well, I might have been able to help with that too." Grace told them. "I can't help noticing your tech here is a little basic…"

"Basic?" Mick asked, sounding insulted. Grace didn't seem to notice though, going to one of his computers and uploading a programme.

"Like I said, I've been trying to help where I can for a while now, and when I figured out the source of your weapons' power I started to look to see if there was more Ninja Steel. I haven't found that, but I have found something."

She showed them an asteroid.

"We picked this up on long-range scans a few days ago. It has a lot of the same properties as your Ninja Steel, but it seems to have a much higher power output and it seems much denser." She told them. "We've taken to calling it, Ninja Super Steel."

"Ninja Super Steel?" Brody asked.

"Tell you what, when you discover an asteroid, how about we let you decide what to name it?" She answered. "On its current path, it should be coming through our Solar System tomorrow. It'll only be in range for a few hours, so you've got a short window to work with, but it's your best shot."

"We can take the Astro Zord!" Sarah rushed out. Mick snapped his fingers.

"That's good thinking!" He replied. "Grace, I just wanted to say thank…"

He looked around and she was gone. He just scratched his head.

"…you?"

"Wow, she could give US lessons!" Preston stated. Brody just shook his head.

"Alright, I've got a feeling things aren't going to be going this well for long. We've still got some pretty terrifying enemies out there." He stated. "Sarah, set up the computers to monitor that asteroid. As soon as it's in rage, I want us all to know about it and be ready to go! Everyone, go home and get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be one hell of a day!"

Meanwhile, up on the Warrior Dome, Galvanax was holding onto the Mega Mag, standing the opposite side of the room from the tiny fragment of Ninja Steel. He turned on the device just as Monty had taught him and watched as the fragment flew to the device. He let out a gruff, bellowing laugh.

"Excellent! Soon the Ninja Steel will be mine!" He called out.

"Alright, they did as you asked, now let them go!" Viera told him. Galvanax just shook his head.

"I don't think so. They have one more use." He stated, grabbing Monty around the neck and lifting him off the floor. "This will go a lot faster if I know where to start my search."

"Put him down!" Viera screamed.

"You know the Rangers. You know where they are!" Galvanax stated.

"Look, you may think she's some princess or other but she does not know…"

"I have no further need of the scrawny one." Galvanax warned them. "Tell me what I want to know or I'll snap his neck!"

"Look, big scary guy, she doesn't know…"

"The school!" Viera rushed out. "Their base is at the school!"

"The school?" Victor asked as Galvanax dropped Monty.

"The…the…school?" Monty coughed, trying to get his breath back as Viera rushed to his side to comfort him. Now a lot of it made sense. Viera had insisted on going to the school instead of the police or the military when they were being chased. She hadn't explained why she wanted to go there, but if the Ranger Base was in the school…then the Rangers were too!

"Your protectors were under your nose the whole time and you never knew." Galvanax sneered. "I'm going to see Cosmo. Tomorrow morning, the Rangers are getting their title shot! Whether they want it or not!"


	47. Out Of Time

The air was thick with dust and heat as the battle raged on. As explosions went off, more dust was thrown into the air, making visibility almost impossible beyond a few feet. Trevor was barely able to get out of the way as another of his comrades fell at his feet.

Although he and his unit had taken The Ghosts by surprise, they had not earned their reputation and high price tag with mere acts of butchery. The Ghosts only recruited from former members of some of the world's most elite Special Forces units. Even with the advantage of numbers Trevor knew that taking them on would be a difficult fight. The only reason they had managed such a telling opening onslaught was because The Ghosts were under the impression that Trevor and his unit were there to arrest them for war crimes. That ship though had long since sailed.

Screams rang out and then died off suddenly. The air reeked of smoke, ash and death. Casualties on both sides were mounting up, but by now Trevor couldn't allow what they had done to go unpunished, even if it meant he never left this place. He heard a metallic clank and could see a grenade landing near him. Unable to take the chance that it wasn't a flash-bang, he leapt off the rooftop he was perched on just as it exploded, the blast propelling him through a lean-to on the opposite side of the street.

He finally came to rest inside what looked like it was some kind of shop. He tried to get up, but his arm gave out under him, and the searing pain informed him it was broken. Worse, looking to his M4, he could see that it was now in a couple of different pieces. He saw a masked fighter clad in black coming through the door and rushed him, driving him into the wall, while pulling his automatic with his one good arm. He unloaded a couple of rounds into his chest, but knowing him to be armoured quickly took the time he was stunned to put the gun under his chin and fired another couple of rounds.

There was a huge yell as another came from the side, kicking Trevor's gun from his hand, before grabbing him in a deadly choke, looking to break his neck. Trevor's salvation came in the form of his trusty kabar, which he managed to pull from its sheath, before thrusting it over his own shoulder into the man's eye. He released Trevor with a howl of pain, but Trevor wasn't giving him the chance to fight back. He brought the knife down into his neck again and again, dropping him to the floor.

Trevor took a moment to catch his breath. There was an uncomfortable quiet now, it sounded like the battle was over. Of course, sometimes that was the most dangerous time, the time when everyone thought the fight was over until they happened upon an enemy they hadn't accounted for. He picked up his pistol again, and resolved to go looking for others, whether it was some surviving Ghosts, or the remains of his own unit. He didn't even get as far as the door before he ran into another enemy. He was knocked clean off his feet by a shotgun blast, landing on the floor, his Kevlar vest barely having saved him. Trevor looked up to see the man coming towards him, cocking the gun for his follow-up shot.

This was it, this was the end, he was sure of it. His assailant had him dead to rights, but that was when he saw a beam by his right foot. The building hadn't been in the best of repair before the battle, but now it was a miracle it was standing at all. If he was going out, he was going to make sure he got every last one of these murderous criminals with him. He kicked out, knocking the pillar down and bringing the roof down on both of them.

Some time passed, how long he wasn't exactly sure, but as he started to get his bearings, he could see his attacker was in a bad way, but no less determined. He was trapped under debris, but trying to crawl his way out to reach his weapon. Trevor managed to free himself first and sloped over to the man, kicking his gun far from his grasp, before kicking him in the chest, turning him onto his back. Picking up the nearest thing he could find, a large block of wood, he stood over the man.

"You bloody psychopath!" The Ghost rasped, staring up at him. "You couldn't leave well enough alone could you?"

"I have kind of a thing about murderers!" Trevor told him.

"Both out teams are DEAD!" The Ghost yelled at him.

"How many have you murdered?" Trevor demanded. "How many?"

"You know, I lost count." The man replied. Trevor's blood was boiling as he stood over him.

"Take off your mask." Trevor told him.

"What?" He asked.

"Take…off…your…mask!" Trevor reiterated, his vision starting to blur in and out as his head started to spin. He daren't give the man any reason to believe he was on his last legs. He didn't know how much he had left in him, but he was determined before it was over to see the face of this monster. The man grabbed his mask and pulled it off. Trevor couldn't say anything as he stared at him.

"What were you expecting? Horns? A goatee? Fangs?" The man taunted him. Trevor didn't really know what to expect, but it wasn't this. It was….just a man. Heavily bruised and cut, but a normal man. Back home he'd probably walk straight past him in the street. "You wanted a monster?"

"You ARE a monster!" Trevor yelled at him. The man stared straight at him and started to laugh. Trevor's temper exploded into a violent rage and he brought up his boot, stomping it down into the man's face. He smashed his heel into his face again and again as his strength started to fail. By the time he finally collapsed and passed out, he was just driving fragments of bone into the ground.

Trevor woke with a start, drenched in sweat, and looked around in a panic. How had he got here? The last thing he remembered was being on the ship. He struggled to breathe and the room started spinning.

"Trevor?" His wife asked, having been woken by his sudden movement. She didn't get an answer from him. She sat up next to him, placing hands on him gently in a reassuring way as she tried to reach him. "Trevor?"

He looked around and saw her, and realised he was back at home, somehow in his own bed. It was night, and he had no idea what had happened in the time that had elapsed in between. He struggled to breathe, and he could see the worry in her face as she clung to him.

"Trevor, look at me!" She told him. When he still didn't seem to respond, she went into the table next to the bed, rummaging around for something. She grabbed a paper bag and emptied it out, handing it to him. "Trevor, breathe into this!"

Laura had seen Trevor having turns before. They had never been this bad before, and it had been some time, close to a couple of years in fact, since she had really seen him having a full-blown panic. That didn't make it any less terrifying or troubling to see. Trevor held the bag over his nose and mouth, taking some deep breaths to try and calm down.

"Trevor, it's alright. You're here, you're safe, you're with me." She said to him in a soothing mantra. She looked into his eyes as he started at her.

"I'm calling the doctor." She told him. Trevor started to shake his head. "Trevor, I don't care what time it is, when you wake up in the middle of the night barely able to breath you call a damn doctor!"

Trevor grabbed her hand as she reached for the phone. What exactly would he tell a doctor? How could he possibly explain what was happening to him? He took the bag away from his face, gulping some breaths as he did so.

"Laura, it's…it's just a turn." He told her. "I'll be fine."

"Trevor, this isn't a…"

"Please." He said to her, putting his arm around her. "I'll be fine, you're here. I promise."

"It's no wonder you're on edge, all that stuff that's been going on at the department." She grumbled. "You've got to believe if that Sterling ever comes here…"

"Please, I promise…I'll be alright." Trevor told her.

"Well…" She wasn't convinced, Laura always worried about those she cared about. It was one of the things he loved about her. "Alright, but I'm calling the department and telling them you're not coming in tomorrow…"

"…Laura…"

"…and you better not move one inch from this bed!" She insisted. Trevor knew better than to push the matter with her. Besides, perhaps a day of bed rest would do him some good. He just nodded.

"I promise." He told her, pulling her into himself and wrapping his arms around her. "I promise."

With that, he lay down on the bed. It was some time before he was finally able to get back to sleep.

The following morning, over at Summer Cove High, Mick and Redbot were preparing for a busy day ahead. They had been tracking the comet and it was now within a few hours of coming into range. The Rangers knew that their arsenal was almost at its apex, and the thought of melting down old weapons didn't really appeal to them. Most of their arsenal had saved their lives more than once, and while Brody had assured them that discarding obsolete weapons was something that shouldn't cause any real concern, and had demonstrated the point by melting down his own father's ninjato, the others weren't so sure that all of the weapons had given their all just yet.

The fact that there was now a new source of metal with similar properties gave them all something that had been in something of short supply lately, a renewed hope. The prospect that this metal seemed to carry a more powerful source of energy was all the more tantalising as a prospect, and it wasn't an exaggeration to say that there was very real hope that this could well be the turning point in the war they had all been waiting for.

Principal Hastings watched as Mick and Redbot darted around, putting together supplies for the team.

"So, let me get this straight, you're going to send one of my teachers and five of my students on a space ship to catch an asteroid?" She summarised. Mick just looked at her.

"Yup." He answered as though she had asked if he was going to send them to pick up litter or run an errand to the supermarket.

"An asteroid?" She reiterated. "As in…a massive chunk of ice, rock and metal that is speeding through the galaxy at thousands of miles an hour."

"That's about the size of it, yes." Mick answered. She just shook her head.

"Oh, is that all?" She asked him. "I suppose that's alright then, nothing can go wrong there at all can it?"

"Look, Jennifer…"

"I'm not saying this…Super Ninja Steel isn't important or anything, I'm perfectly certain it is." She told him. "But you have to understand why I'm a little concerned that you're basically telling me that you're going to send a bunch of kids into orbit as a human catcher's mitt in the biggest game of intergalactic softball in history!"

"You don't think this has me worried?" Mick asked her. "Those kids are the closest thing I have to kids of my own. I've raised Brody almost all my life."

"I'm not saying you don't care about them." Jennifer answered as she realised what her objections had to sound like. "I'm just asking…is there maybe another way to do this? One that doesn't involve planting them in the direct path of an asteroid larger than a battleship?"

"Believe me, I've calculated and re-calculated and thought and rethought every idea I've ever had all night, and this is the one that's got the best chance of success." Mick told her. "If they get that asteroid, this could be what finishes off Galvanax for good."

"Well, do they even need it?" She asked him. "They've done fine without it up until now. Why take a gamble like this so close to the end?"

"Because it IS so close to the end!" Mick answered. "They could go out and face Galvanax right now. Hell, they might even win, and I pray that they would. But why not send them out there with the best chance possible?"

Jennifer looked to him as he pulled a little closer to her.

"Believe me, if I thought this wasn't the plan most likely to succeed, they wouldn't be going." Mick assured her. "I believe in them."

"Well, I guess…I believe in you." She replied, before pulling in and kissing him softly. "So, what do you need me for?"

"I need you to cover for them." Mick answered.

"I'm getting kind of good at that." She said as she looked to him. "So, what's the story?"

"I've already got it figured out." Mick said, handing her a flyer. "I printed these up and left them lying in a few strategic locations so people will…think they probably just forgot about them but not really remember not seeing them."

"Stone Canyon Peace Conference?" She asked. "We're going to say they went to a peace conference?"

"That's right!" Mick replied. "Come on Redbot, let's check those rations one more time!"

"PEACE CONFERNECE?" Jennifer called after him. "Who's going to buy a lame ass story like that?"

Up on the Warrior Dome, Galvanax was preparing to make his move. He had messaged Cosmo to set up a special broadcast. While it was true that as Champion, he had to face anyone who had satisfied the criteria for being considered a contender, as champion, it was entirely at his discretion to call for the battle more or less whenever he wanted. While Cosmo would eventually schedule a bout and give the rightful contender their shot at the title, it was also within Galvanax's remit to decide he wanted to fight earlier.

The whole ship was in a buzz as people were frantically trying to get a broadcast ready. All hands were on deck preparing for the spectacle to come. Wrench was already in the production booth quite literally whipping the 'interns' there into action to make sure everything was ready, while Cosmo was negotiating a special live broadcast that would take up virtually every channel broadcasting.

Galvanax watched them all preparing from his chambers, smiling.

"I've been waiting a long time for this." He growled. "I haven't forgotten how they challenged my invincibility the last time. I've been resting on my laurels for far too long. Now I finally have a worthy foe to crush beneath my heel!"

"And you will look spectacular as you do it!" Odious said, looking to their prisoners. "Don't you agree?"

"Oh…yeah…you totally will." Monty rushed out.

"Absolutely." Victor said, nodding frantically. They of course hoped that the Rangers would be victorious, but they didn't want to risk angering their captors before the match. Only Viera stayed defiant.

"The Rangers are going to kick your arse!" She stated firmly.

"Perhaps you forgot what happened when I fought your father…"

"My father was a blood-mad, foolhardy, arrogant moron that got everything that was coming to him!" She snapped in response. Although she had loved her father, she was under no illusions as to the tyrant he was. She had seen his atrocities all her life, and it had been one of the things that had spurned her to believe that there was a better way. "You're no different! The only thing inevitable about those who pursue a life of bloodshed is sooner or later it's theirs that stains the ground!"

"Uh…Princess?" Victor said meekly. "Could you kindly NOT piss off the giant walking gold psychopath?"

"Your faith in your friends is misplaced." Galvanax told her. "As for my end, when it comes, I won't even notice. Whatever happens, it will be glorious!"

As he picked up his naginata and the Mega Mag, he strode out the door. Monty just stared in amazement.

"Now THAT is a dude with problems!" He commented. Odious grabbed him, yanking him to his feet.

"Alright, enough of that!" She told them. "Now it's time for you to make yourselves useful!"

She pressed a button, opening a panel in the wall, where another device was being built, another Mega Mag, though several times larger and more powerful than the hand-held one Galvanax had.

"Get to work!" She ordered them. "Galvanax doesn't even realise how close his glorious end is!"

As she left to attend to other matters, leaving Kudabots to guard them, Monty, Victor and Viera started to get to work.

"Are you really sure about this?" Monty asked.

"Monty, Odious is a sociopath, she'll kill us no matter what happens!" She told him flatly. "At least this way the Earth has a chance."

"And us?" Victor asked her.

"That's….a different matter." She conceded uneasily. "Are you sure about your device?"

"Are you sure you can…you know?" Monty asked. She just gulped.

"I guess we're all about to find out the hard way."

Meanwhile, down at the school, Principal Hastings came into the Ranger Base as Mick and Redbot were putting together the last of the equipment the Rangers would need.

"I've got Clint cordoning off this corridor, no one will be looking for anyone up here." She told Mick. "I told him some story about essential maintenance…"

"That should keep people away, good thinking." Mick told her. "I sent the alert to the Rangers, they should be here any minute."

"Mick…"

"Look, I know you don't like this, but…"

"Mick…"

"If we head out really quick, we could be there and back before Cosmo or any of his guys even notice…"

"MICK!" She called out, pointing to the table. Mick looked around to where the Ninja Stars were all sitting out for inventory. They were all starting to shake and move on the table.

"What in the world?" Mick asked. Just then, one of them flew to the wall at lightning speed, lodging into it. The others all started to take flight, forcing them to take cover.

"What's going on?" Jennifer asked.

"Mick, I'm picking up an incredible magnetic force!" Redbot told him.

"Magnetic?" Mick asked. They all covered up as the wall finally gave in, flying out in a hail of dust and debris. As their vision cleared, they could see a hole in the wall, and through the hole, standing in the distance, was Galvanax holding the Mega Mag. Mick just gulped.

"Well, the good news is you aren't lying about maintenance work." Mick told her. "The bad news…I think we just ran out of time!"


	48. Championship Bout

Moments before:

Cosmo strode onto the stage in his very finest livery, the spotlights shining on him as pyrotechnics fired all around. The crowd erupted in riotous applause and cheer as he danced out onto the stage, performing a hand-spring into the centre of the stage.

"Who do you love?" He declared loudly.

"COSMO!" They all replied. Cosmo just shook his head and wagged his finger in disappointment.

"No, no, no, we can do SO much better than that! WHO DO YOU LOVE?" He roared again, throwing his arms open as though embracing the entire crowd.

"COSMO!" They all called out once more. This was him in his element. He was never happier than when at the centre of the spectacle. He took a moment to drink in the adulation before he held up a hand to call for quiet. It took a little while, but eventually a hush fell over the crowd as he readied himself on the microphone.

"Tonight, is a very special night. Tonight…we…have…a CHALLENGER!" Cosmo called out, beginning to whip up the excitement once more. "Fresh off an amazing series of victories over some of the biggest, the strongest, the toughest, the smelliest, the most disgusting…and yes, sometimes even the most bizarre creatures the universe has to face, the Power Rangers have earned the right to challenge the Champion for the title of Galaxy Warriors Heavyweight Champion!"

He once more called for a hush, and the lights came down as he prepared for his introduction.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting to you, the Supreme Fighter. The Scourge of all Systems. The terror of anything that lives! The thing that gives nightmares sleepless nights! The reigning and defending, undisputed, undefeated Galaxy Warriors Heavyweight Champion…GALVANAX!"

The stage doors opened up and Galvanax strode out onto the stage, mist billowing in and an ominous red light casting a daemonic glow over his armour. He had his naginata in one hand and the Mega Mag in the other. His championship belt was strapped around his waist. He stood before the audience and threw his arms up, bellowing a huge roar that rivalled that of the entire arena. Cosmo stood back, letting Galvanax take his moment. This was what he lived for. As Galvanax finished posing, he stood in position, ready to be beamed down to Earth.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, let the final battle…BEGIN!" Cosmo called out as he slammed his hand down on the control, bathing Galvanax in a bright light, teleporting him down to Earth.

Galvanax arrived at the school, still a little way from it. He jammed his naginata into the ground, and took the Mega Mag in both hands, aiming it at the school.

He fiddled with the settings, getting everything just right, before sweeping it across the building. Although he knew the Ninja Steel was in the school, he didn't know WHERE exactly in the school, and bitter experience had taught him that ninjas were nothing if not inventive about setting traps, especially on their home territory. Of course, thanks to the Mega Mag, he would not be having to risk entering the school, a potential cavalcade of deadly traps. Instead, he could draw the Rangers outside to face him on an open field. Force them to fight on his terms, where the circumstances suited him better.

He finally got a lock on something, and could see on the display he had something hooked. Turning up the power, he could feel the device pulling against his grip. Seizing onto it as he cranked the power up to maximum, he saw an area of the school wall being ripped clean out, before he could see the Ninja Stars flying through the air towards him. One by one, they connected with the end of the Mega Mag, locking in place. He stared at them in amazement. All those months, all those battles and yet here he was in possession of almost all of the Ninja Steel in a mere matter of moments. A couple of Kudos's came up to him carrying a large jug.

"This will do." Galvanax declared. "The Rangers will have no choice but to come to me now!"

A little way off, the Rangers were walking towards the school, laughing and joking as they headed in. Mick had already sent them word that the asteroid would be coming through their area of the galaxy and that they would be going out to collect it.

"I can't believe we get to go back into space!" Sarah squealed in delight. "Dr Morgan was cool and everything, I mean dinosaurs and all that are awesome but I've always wanted to be an astronaut!"

"You do remember you've already been in space before, right?" Calvin asked.

"Well I spent the last ten years in space." Brody said with a shrug. "The novelty kind of wears off."

"Oh, come on guys, I can totally get why Sarah's excited!" Preston told them with a smile, putting his arm around her. "I mean, it would be kind of like if I got to do a show with David Copperfield!"

"I can't wait to get going!" Sarah rushed out. "You guys, this is simply THE coolest thing we've ever done!"

Just then, their Ninja-Comms bleeped. They all looked at each other, rolling their eyes in unison.

"Typical!" They all chorused as Sarah answered hers.

"Mick, what's going on?" She asked.

"Guys, things are bad. REALLY bad!" Mick told them. "Galvanax has decided when he wants his title bout. And…he's decided there's no time like the present!"

"Aw man, I was worried about that." Levi stated. "I was hoping we'd have the Super Ninja Steel before he showed up."

"I guess we'll have to make do with what we have." Brody replied. "Maybe if we take him down now, we won't even need the Super Ninja Steel."

"Alright Mick, where is he?" Sarah asked.

"That's just the thing. He's here!" Mick told her.

"You said that already." Preston stated.

"No, you don't get it. He's HERE!" Mick told them. "He's just outside the school with a whole bunch of kudabots!"

"He's at the SCHOOL?" Hayley asked. "How could this get any worse?"

"It gets worse." Mick continued, almost as if he'd heard her. "Somehow…he's managed to take the Power Stars."

"He took the Power Stars?" They all yelled together.

"How?" Brody asked.

"I don't know! One minute they were on the table in my workshop, the next minute, I have a new window and all the Power Stars are flying towards Galvanax!"

"This isn't good." Levi told them. "All I've got is my own Power Star!"

"Same here." Calvin added. The others all showed their Power Stars and nodded to confirm that they were all in the same situation.

"What are we going to do?" Preston asked. Brody just took a deep breath.

"What choice do we have?" Brody responded as confidently as he could. He had taught them well, and he more than all of them knew that not only a ninja's greatest weapon, but ANYONE'S greatest weapons were their wits, their courage and their training. Weapons could fail, be broken, be taken away but the fundamental skills of a well-trained warrior could not be lost. Of course, right now, even he wouldn't mind having just a little bit more of an arsenal behind him. "A ninja's a weapon all by himself. We can use this as a strength."

"The fact he has all our weapons?" Preston asked him.

"Not all of them." Brody reminded him. "Besides, if he thinks we're licked, it might make him overconfident. We can use that to our advantage."

"I don't know about you, but in the absence of a better plan, I'm all for it!" Levi stated, fist-bumping Brody. "This is it Bro, we'll make him pay for what he did to dad!"

"Alright Mick, we're on our way!" Sarah stated as she signed off. The Rangers all dumped their bags, sprinting for the school as quickly as they could.

By the time they got there, Galvanax was waiting for them. They could see a huge jug sitting beside him, full to the brim with their Power Stars! The only saving grace was that he didn't also have the Nexus Prism, but if they failed, then Brody wasn't confident even the booby traps he and Mick had devised for the base would be enough to keep him out forever. The Rangers assembled before him.

"Rangers, I was almost starting to think you wouldn't show up!" Galvanax taunted them, his hand straying to the jug. "See anything you'd like!"

"Those don't belong to you!" Brody snapped, pointing to the Power Stars. "Give them back! NOW!"

"You have some nerve talking about taking things that don't belong to you!" Galvanax stated. "I took you in, raised you, fed you, and you repaid me by stealing my Ninja Nexus Prism!"

"It was NEVER yours to begin with!" Levi interjected, looking livid.

"You've been destroying my monsters, slowly working your way up the ranks. Now you've finally earned the right to challenge for this!" Galvanax stated, pointing to his title belt. "I have accepted!"

"Does it matter that none of us actually WANT your stupid title?" Hayley asked him. "Yeah, I thought not."

"Enough of this, the time for talking is over." Brody announced.

"NINJA SPIN!" They all chorused together, rushing into the battle, morphing as they went.

Up on the Warrior Dome, Monty and Viera were working on the super-sized Mega Mag for Odious. None of them knew what she wanted it for, and in all honesty, they weren't really too concerned. However, as long as Odious wanted them to make this for her, the longer she still needed them, which meant that for the time being at least, she wasn't going to dispose of them.

"Damn it Victor, where are you?" Monty asked as he continued to work. They had already devised an escape plan, albeit one that had a rather larger reliance on luck than any of them would like, but since they all doubted Odious would let them go after they completed their work anyway, they were ready to give pretty much anything a try right now. Victor had insisted he needed to go to a bathroom and while Odious hadn't really been overly concerned for his comfort, eventually Monty had convinced her that letting Victor go to a bathroom would probably be a lot better for her than facing the consequences of Galvanax returning to the inevitable consequences in his chambers if she didn't.

"Monty, I…I'm really sorry I lied to you." Viera said hesitantly. Monty just looked to her. "I didn't…I didn't do it because I thought you were stupid or anything. I just thought it would be safer."

"So, are you really a Princess?" He asked her. She just nodded. "Well, I guess I always did think you were out of this world."

"A lot of people back home don't like me very much. It's the reason I had to run." She told him. "I was trying to make my home a better place, but there are people there that just…they don't want things to be any different. They want everything to remain the same."

"There are always people like that." Monty told her. "But in the end, all we can hope is that there are more people out there that are intrinsically good and want things to be better than people who want to hate."

"You really are amazing." She told him. Monty just blushed a little as he looked at her rather awkwardly.

"I mean, I'm…I'm not a Prince or anything like that…"

"No, you're not." She answered, moving closer. Monty could see her drawing in, her face reaching closer to his. "You're so…much…more."

"Sorry it took me a while." Victor announced, pulling them both from the moment as he came back with a trolley. "I convinced the Kudos's we needed some parts and had them take me to the garbage disposal."

"Did you get what we're looking for?" Monty asked him. Victor just smiled, reaching under some trash and pulling out the ruined head of a Kudabot.

"Oh yeah." He answered. "Victor Vincent came through!"

"Great, then all we need is to get this thing finished." Viera stated. "The sooner we get this up and running, the sooner we can make our move!"

Back down in Summer Cove, the battle raged and the Rangers were more than making up for their depleted arsenal with fire and determination. For months now, they had been Rangers and watched their city being attacked again and again by Galvanax's forces. They had seen the destruction he had brought with him, the ruin he had caused their home. As much as they all loved being Rangers and were honoured to have been chosen to defend their home, they were also more than ready for this to be the last time they would need to raise arms against Galvanax.

Brody and Levi were going after Galvanax himself, while the others kept the Kudos's at bay. Levi peppered Galvanax with blasts from his Rockstorm Blaster, forcing him to cover up as Brody closed the distance.

Brody remembered from the first time they had fought Galvanax how heavy his armour was. If they had access to some of their more powerful weapons, like the Lion Fire Armour, or the Fusion Star, he was confident things would be easier, but without them, they still had another option. The last time, they had gotten lucky and had managed to cut a loose strap, causing one of the plates to come loose and leaving some of his body exposed. If he could perhaps get to him, he could find a similar weakness this time.

He scored a couple of attacks, getting as close as he dared before being forced to back off to avoid a counter. Unfortunately, he didn't see an opening this time.

"You're strong Galvanax but you're SLOW!" Brody taunted him as he flipped out of the way of a massive sweeping strike Galvanax aimed his way. He followed up with a jet of flame. Brody was almost regretting calling Galvanax slow, as he could feel the heat searing him through the suit as it sailed just past him.

"HEY! No one flash-roasts my brother!" Levi called out as he ran for Galvanax, striking his exposed back. Galvanax swung around for him, but this just created an opening for Brody. Ten years of pent-up rage between the Romero brothers translated into a furious assault from all sides as they darted in and out, striking Galvanax as he looked for the other. Up on the Warrior Dome, the audience was going wild.

"WOW! Did you see that folks!" Cosmo said as he watched the footage. "This is the grudge match of the ages! Can Galvanax take much more of this?"

Galvanax wasn't willing to find out though. Losing his patience, he launched into the air, before coming down, creating a shockwave that shook the ground all around him and forced Brody and Levi to flip away from him. He tried to get his breath back, to take stock of the situation. Even without their most powerful weapons, the Rangers were a lot stronger than he had given them credit for. He had always assumed that the last time it had been luck, a fluke that they had managed to find a loose-fitted plate that some careless armourer hadn't tightened properly, but now…now as he saw Brody and Levi already preparing to resume their attack, he was starting to wonder if they were just lucky.

He saw the Mega Mag a little way off, and darted for it, snatching it up and switching it on.

"Enough of this!" He roared.

"Wait…is that…Victor and Monty's Mega Mag?" Hayley asked. Just as she said this, Galvanax aimed it her way and turned it on. She could only watch as her Power Star was ripped from her sword, flying through the air towards the evil warrior. She could feel the power leave her and looked down to see her sword and her suit disappearing.

He swung around, this time coming to Preston and Calvin. Their Power Stars were yanked from them, taking their power with it. They were both confused just long enough for some Kudos's to take advantage and swarm them.

"Shit! Now I guess we know how he took the other Power Stars!" Sarah complained as her star too was stolen, leaving her completely unarmed as she was suddenly set upon by a horde of Kudos's. "Let GO of me!"

"Now it's YOUR turn!" Galvanax growled as he turned his attention back to Brody. Levi saw what was coming and leapt in the way, but succeeded only in exchanging Brody for himself. His suit disappeared as his Power Star too was pulled from him.

"Levi NO!" Brody yelled as he tried to go and help him, but he was cut off by more Kudos's. Galvanax started to laugh.

"If I were you, I'd be more worried about myself!" Galvanax taunted him. "Say goodbye Red Ranger!"

Before he could activate it though, they all heard the roar of powerful engines, and they turned in time to see Brody's truck leaping over the crest of a hill. Mick floored the accelerator, bearing down and slamming straight into Galvanax, sending him flying. He opened the door.

"Brody, get in!" He called to him.

"But the others…"

"First rule of being a ninja, live now, fight later!" Mick rushed out. Brody took one more look around and could see that his friends were being overwhelmed and brought to the ground, being held tightly. It wasn't difficult to see that pretty soon the battle was going to be lost. Right now, he held the only Power Star they had left, and with it, quite possibly the only hope humanity had left. He looked regretfully to his friends.

"Brody, get out of here!" Levi yelled at him as Kudos's held his arms back, almost as though he knew exactly what Brody was thinking of. "You can come back for us, GO!"

Brody just nodded, but he had one last thing to do first. Seeing the Mega Mag lying on the ground, he raised his sword and brought it down, smashing it into smithereens, before diving into the truck.

"Go!" Brody ordered Mick. Mick didn't need to be told twice. He floored the accelerator, speeding off and leaving the others behind. He daren't look in the rear-view mirror to watch Galvanax round them up. He already knew that the others were now at Galvanax's mercy, but there was nothing they could do until they had a chance to regroup and figure out a new plan. He could only hope that they hadn't already lost their one and only hope.


	49. Where It All Began

Glavanax appeared back on the ship, holding aloft his vase full of Power Stars triumphantly. Sarah, Preston, Hayley, Levi and Calvin were struggling in the grip of a number of kudabots, while yet more rushed onto the stage carrying restraints. They fought to get free, but were quickly overwhelmed by their captors as Cosmo came into view, carrying Galvanax's championship belt over his shoulder.

"Wowee folks, did you all see that?" Cosmo declared loudly. "Once again, our champion DOMINATES the field, crushing ALL before him! Behold, five out of the six Power Rangers!"

The team were dragged forward in chains, being presented to the audience like trophies. They were all forced to their knees, and their heads yanked backwards hard to expose their faces to the hard camera.

"Is it weird that the first thought I had was I'm really glad this show isn't broadcast where I come from?" Hayley asked.

"So, Champ, what do you have to say about your challengers now that you have them here?" Cosmo asked him.

"What can I say? What can I ever say? There is NOTHING in this universe that can stand up to me!" Galvanax said gruffly. "All those other monsters may have fallen, but once I stepped into the arena, there was only ever going to be one conclusion!"

"Brody's still out there!" Levi shot out as he struggled to break free of the grip of his guards.

"Don't think I've forgotten about him." Galvanax told them. "The only reason you're still alive is because I don't believe in leaving a job half-done. Once I have all of you in one place…"

He levelled his naginata under Levi's chin, the blade cutting into the flesh. Levi didn't flinch as blood started to slowly trickle down his neck.

"I'll give the audience the show they all came for, and I'll have six new drinking goblets." He told them.

"Why do I get the feeling he's not talking about going to a souvenir shop for commemorative mugs?" Preston gulped.

"So, all season you've been trying to get the Ninja Steel. Now you have it, what do you plan to do with it?" Cosmo asked. Galvanax just looked to them.

"I shall melt them down, consume them and imbue myself with the legendary power of the Ninja Steel!" He stated. All of the Rangers just suddenly looked between each other in confusion.

"Did I just hear that right?" Hayley asked. "He said he intends to DRINK molten Ninja Steel?"

"Will that even work?" Calvin asked. "I mean, I don't claim to be an expert, but last time I checked drinking molten metal was not considered particularly good for the health."

"I've heard of getting some more iron in your diet but…"

"Seriously Preston?" Levi cut off the Blue Ranger. They all looked to Sarah. The Pink Ranger understood that she was considered 'the smart one' on the team, and often they looked to her for answers when weird things happened. Between her scientific mind and her previous experience as a technical advisor to the Amber Beach team, she did have answers a lot of the time, but unfortunately, she didn't exactly have encyclopaedic knowledge of literally everything in the universe. Alien anatomy was one of those areas she was still largely ignorant in.

"Well, Ninja Steel does greatly increase the strength and power of anything it's made out of, and I've always theorised that incorporating it into an alloy would have similar effects, like adding titanium to steel. As for its effects on Galvanax…well…without knowing his anatomical makeup…I guess it's POSSIBLE…you know, if drinking metal heated to several thousand Kelvin doesn't kill him."

"Personally, I'm kind of hoping for the latter." Levi responded. Cosmo swiped him across the face with his cane.

"HEY! No talking on the set!" He demanded. "Guests speak only when spoken to on my show!"

"GUESTS?" Sarah demanded. "You have a really strange idea of what constitutes a guest!"

"You know, if you hit me with that stick again, I'm going to stick it straight up your ass when I get out of this!" Levi told Cosmo. The flamboyant host just laughed.

"Take them away!" Cosmo told the Kudabots, who pulled the Rangers to their feet and started to drag them away. Cosmo looked to Galvanax. "So, shall we prepare your little health shake Champ?"

"Not so fast." Galvanax stated, before pulling out the five coloured Ninja Stars. "For my souvenir collection."

With that, he picked up the vase and channelled some power into it, melting down the Ninja Steel in moments. He then held it high in the air.

"Here's to the END OF THE POWER RANGERS!" He roared, before throwing it back, guzzling the steel as the audience cheered.

In the Champion's chambers, Odious was watching the screen and smiled wickedly. Victor and Monty just stared open-mouthed.

"THOSE GUYS are the Rangers?" Victor gasped.

"All those times they disappeared…the weird things that kept happening around the Shop Class…that's where the base is isn't it?" Monty asked. Viera just looked a little uncomfortable.

"This…wasn't exactly what I was hoping for when I hoped they'd come for us." Viera admitted.

"Oh champ, you are nothing if not predictable." Odious stated, before looking to Victor, Monty and Viera.

"He's infusing himself with the Ninja Steel." Monty stated. "You knew that was what he was planning."

"Yes, the champ never was particularly imaginative." She sighed. "He was also far too quick to tell people what he intended to do. I always found it better to keep one or two surprises."

"But then why are we building this Mega Mag to attract Ninja Steel?" Victor asked. "He already has…"

He suddenly paused as he started to catch up.

"If you turn on the Mega Mag while he's infused with Ninja Steel…"

"It'll tear him apart." Viera stated. "You're planning on destroying him!"

"I'm planning on taking the power for myself!" She corrected them. "If in the process it destroys Galvanax in the process, I won't lose too much sleep over it."

"Wow, that is some kind of management style." Victor said sarcastically. "At least all those guys he fought in the arena were honest about their intentions."

"Just get back to work!" She responded. "I want this thing finished as soon as possible!"

With that, she left the room. As she left, the Rangers were being dragged past the door to the Champion's chambers to some holding cells.

"Let go of us you tin-plated creeps!" Sarah yelled. Victor, Monty and Viera all ran to the door in time to see them being thrown into a cell.

"Alright, we know where they are now." Victor stated. "Monty, is the device nearly ready?"

"Yeah." Monty replied.

"Then it's time to put our plan into action." Victor said with a grin.

Back on Earth, Trevor woke up, finding the other side of his bed empty. He looked around and saw the radio alarm clock, seeing that it was now coming close to midday, and a note in his wife's handwriting. He picked up the note, reading it.

"I called into the precinct to tell them you weren't coming in today just like I promised. I told them it was food poisoning, so if anyone calls to ask just tell them you had a dodgy prawn curry." The note said. Trevor smiled a little. It wasn't her preferred way of dealing with things, but she always respected the fact that Trevor didn't like people knowing too much about his personal business. "You were still sound asleep when it was time for us to go, so I didn't want to disturb you. There are some of those crumpets you like in the cupboard. Don't hesitate to call the office if you need anything. Laura."

Trevor got up, and after a quick shower just pulled on some sweats and a t-shirt. Heading down to the kitchen, he looked out the crumpets that Laura had told him about.

He could feel something stirring inside him as he put the crumpets into the microwave to heat through. He was about to turn on the TV when a thought occurred to him. He had now slept for several hours even after his attack. He hadn't gotten any calls, he hadn't lost control, he had just…rested. Maybe that was all he needed after all. Maybe all he needed to get things under control was just a little time without any drama.

He put the controller down and instead looked for something else to do. He found a book, one that looked like one of Hayley's school books.

"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." He stated as he pulled the crumpets out of the microwave. "I…guess I've always been curious since I saw the Disney version."

With that, he went to the couch and flopped down, placing the plate on the coffee table as he started to read.

Over at the Romero Farm, Mick and Brody pulled into the yard. Brody hadn't actually been back here since 'Aiden' had shown up and he was intending to move back into the farm and fix it up as a home for them. When Levi had shown up and they had discovered his true identity, the idea of coming back had been floated, but it had never been seriously considered. Levi and Tom already had the Weston family farm back in Texas, and Levi had a pretty nice place in the city now so there hadn't really been any kind of realistic progression towards that end. The farm was quite overgrown and it was still pretty obvious no one actually lived there, but there were a few signs of the work that Brody and 'Aiden' had done to bring it back to its former state.

Brody couldn't think where else to go when they were forced to flee from the school. Abandoning the truck, they went straight into the workshop. Their first priority had been to get somewhere safe to regroup. To get a moment to breathe and gather their thoughts. Unfortunately, right now the only thought Brody could come up with was anger. His friends were gone, his weapons had been taken and now, he had been reduced to running and hiding. He started pacing intently.

"This isn't right Mick!" Brody told him. "We shouldn't be running, we should turn around and fight!"

"Brody, you're a ninja…"

"A self-taught ninja." Brody interrupted him.

"You ARE a ninja!" Mick reiterated. "But even not being a ninja, I know that staying and fighting wouldn't have accomplished anything."

"Mick, we need to go back and get the others…"

"Brody, he'll have taken them to the Warrior Dome." Mick stated as he tried to reason with the Red Ranger. "I…I just got a text from Jennifer. She's making sure that the stuff in the lab wouldn't be found, and she saw the end of the battle. Galvanax teleported away and he took the others with him."

"Then we go to the Warrior Dome." Brody stated.

"How? In the truck?" Mick asked him. "Calvin's good but last time I checked he didn't turn your truck into a space ship! We can't get on and they can't get off."

Brody leant on the workbench and glared at Mick.

"So, what do you suggest?" Brody asked him.

"Alright, what is it you always said about ninjas?" Mick tried to remind him. "They were used to being on an uphill fight. The feudal lords they targeted had armies, they had weapons, they had money, they had power, the ninjas still took them down. There is nothing more dangerous than a ninja when it looks like they don't have a hope."

"Right. That's what dad always said." Brody said, starting to pace again. "OK, first thing's first. We need to take stock, instead of lamenting what we don't have, figure out what we do have."

"OK, well we have you…we have me…and we have one Power Star." Mick told him. Brody pulled out his Power Star and stared at it.

"It's not a lot is it?" He asked.

"Practically nothing." Mick agreed. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind a little more."

Just then, Brody's Ninja-Comm activated. They both looked to each other, wondering who could be calling them. Brody answered.

"Redbot?" He asked. "You're safe!"

"Yes, I managed to relocate with the equipment from the lab to another area of the school." Redbot told them. "Jennifer gave me the keys to somewhere she calls the boiler room. She said hardly anyone ever comes down here, so it was a good choice to bring our equipment before the authorities arrived. You got out of there just in time. Some very unfriendly looking cops showed up about five minutes after you left."

"I kept them at bay as long as I could." Principal Hastings said, squeezing into view on the screen. "Redbot managed to get everything down to the boiler room while I was going over the finer points of what they could and couldn't view without a warrant."

"You blocked the cops?" Brody asked her. She just shrugged.

"Even students have rights." She told him.

"We've found something on the scans." Redbot told Mick. "The asteroid is within range now. If we can just reach it, we might be able to get our hands on Super Ninja Steel."

"Unfortunately, Galvanax has our Astro Zord star." Mick said, trying to think of a solution to the issue. "Is it on a path to Earth?"

"It'll miss the Earth by thousands of miles." Redbot replied. "We would need to bring it here or go to it."

"Then we need a space ship." Mick thought aloud. "Where can we get a space ship on short notice?"

"We have a space ship, we just have no way of accessing it." Brody responded. "Unless…unless we do!"

"What are you thinking?" Mick asked as he saw the look on Brody's face as he started searching the workshop.

"Dad made himself a katana out of Ninja Steel, right?" Brody asked him.

"Yeah, he did." Mick answered. "But we melted that down to make the Ultrazord Star."

"But we just assumed that's ALL he made out of Ninja Steel." Brody told him. "He was working with it right? So, he needed tools, and what better to work Ninja Steel…"

"Than tools made out of Ninja Steel!" Mick concluded as he began to help Brody search. They both knew it was a desperate hope, but right now they were willing to try just about anything. After turning out virtually every toolbox, cabinet and drawer they could find though, hope seemed to be fading fast. Brody picked up a toolbox, throwing it against the wall in frustration.

"Damn it!" He called out. "That's it, we're done Mick, we're DONE!"

"We're not done!" Mick stated.

"We are Mick, we need that Super Ninja Steel!" Brody stated. "But without the Astro Zord Star…"

"There…is…one last source…of Ninja Steel." Mick suggested. "But it is literally the biggest gamble."

"What are you talking about Mick?" Brody asked. "The only Ninja Steel we have left is…"

Mick just nodded. Brody pulled out his Power Star.

"You want me to…?" Brody asked. "Mick, if we do that, we are literally giving up the last weapon we have left."

"Like I said, it's a gamble." Mick told him. "Whatever play you want to make, I'll back you all the way."

Brody just stared at his Power Star. It was literally an all-or-nothing gamble. They would need to get it to the Nexus Prism, but if they melted down the Power Star, they would not have any access to Brody's ninja powers. They could use the Astro Zord to get the Super Ninja Steel, but if they failed, if they were stopped from getting there or if they were unable to catch it before it was out of range then they were all but defenceless.

Just then, they heard a loud crash outside. Brody stood bolt-upright. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

"What is it Brody?" Mick asked him.

"Mick, if you want to run, I won't hold it against you." Brody told him.

"Run?" Mick asked him. Brody went to the door and stepped outside, where he found Galvanax standing, waiting for him. He was wearing his championship belt.

"Red Ranger! How fitting that we find ourselves back here!" Galvanax greeted him. "It almost seems fitting that this is where it would end."

"This is where you took everything from me!" Brody yelled at him. "How DARE you come here!"

"I am the all powerful Galvanax!" He said, as though this was explanation enough. He took of his belt, holding it up. "THIS is all that matters!"

"Brody, look!" Mick told him, pointing to the belt. Brody could see the other five Power Stars attached to the side plates. Brody gripped his Power Star tightly in one hand as his morpher appeared in the other.

"Then you've made your second mistake Galvanax." Brody growled as he tensed up. "Your first was coming here! NINJA SPIN!"

Galvanax tossed the Championship Belt aside, twirling his naginata and sinking down into a guard.

"For a moment I thought you would run again." Galvanax said, sounding impressed.

"I've been running long enough!" Brody yelled as they sprinted towards each other.

Up on the Warrior Dome, the rest of the team were in their cell.

"I can't believe we're just sitting here." Levi stated.

"It's not like we have much of a choice." Sarah told him. "They attached our shackles to the floor!"

"You know what I mean!" Levi replied. "I believe in Brody, but I just feel like we should be helping!"

"We can't do much from in here though can we?" Preston said with a smile. "Fortunately, that's not going to be a problem much…"

With that, they all pulled their hands in front of themselves.

"…longer." Preston stated.

"How did you…?"

"I've read literally everything Houdini has ever written." Preston interrupted Hayley. "How did you…?"

"I got one of my hair pins." She told him, beginning to work on her ankle shackles. "I picked the lock. Calvin?"

"Slightly less refined, I've always had big wrists and small hands." He told them, showing them his hands as Hayley passed him the hair pin. "I just scratched to get a little blood going as a lubricant and slipped right out."

"I dislocated my thumb." Sarah told them, clicking it back into place. "Brody dislocated it in training a few months back and now I can pretty much do it whenever I want."

"I always have a guitar pick." Levi stated, handing it to Sarah. "I picked the lock."

"Well aren't we all clever!" Calvin said with a smirk as they all finally freed themselves from their shackles. "OK, that's one problem down, now how do we get out of here?"

"Alright, no disrespect to Houdini Presto, but I think this might be more my area of expertise." Sarah replied as she started to inspect the electronic keypad. "This might take a while."


	50. The Great Escape

Madame Odious stood on top of the Warrior Dome ship, taking up position by the bow. She smirked as she looked down, knowing that by now the battle between Galvanax and the Red Ranger would be well underway. Truthfully, it didn't really matter what happened during the battle. It would suit her fine if they destroyed each other completely, it would just mean less work for her when the time came for her endgame move. The fact was, today there would only be one winner, and that was her!

She had been plotting this ever since she had first heard of the Ninja Steel. While she was powerful on her own, she never believed in taking part in any kind of battle with a questionable outcome. Why face an opponent who could fight back if you could come at them with an arsenal that was so powerful it would be as simple as rolling over a room full of infants? Her ambitions extended far beyond the Warrior Dome. While it did give her access to easily manipulated warriors who sought nothing more than to prove their strength. They were useful for accomplishing her goals, and best of all she usually didn't have to do much to get rid of them. Most of them ended up burning themselves out in the long run long before they became a problem for her. Galvanax had been an amazing acquisition, but he was also coming close to the time when he had exhausted his usefulness. He had gathered the Ninja Steel, and within moments, one way or another the Red Ranger would be destroyed too.

"Is the Mega Mag Ready?" She asked through her communicator. Down in her lab, Victor, Monty and Viera all stood by the device.

"It's ready." Victor told her, nodding to the others. They knew Odious would be watching for any suspicious behaviour on their part, so they had to time their move perfectly. Viera stood in an area Monty had marked out within the workings of the device.

"Then turn it on." She told them. "I have the remote here."

"Turning on the power now." Victor told her. He nodded to Monty, who turned on the power. The area Viera was in started to power up, and before long she could feel a tug on her collar. Monty saw her moving and upped the power in another area. He had built a small area of the Mega Mag with pulls in two different directions, and he had set it to attract the Leondis in her collar.

"Are you alright?" He asked. She just nodded. He started to slowly turn up the power. He took care to make sure he turned up the power equally so that it didn't hurt her. She fumbled around, finding his hand and taking it in hers for comfort. Monty started to turn up the power further.

"Uh…Monty, you might want to hurry this along." Victor said, seeing some Kudabots starting to take notice. He looked to Viera, who nodded, squeezing his hand tightly. With another adjustment of the controls, the collar snapped in two with a loud crack. The Kudabots grabbed their weapons and came over.

"It…it was just some routine maintenance!" Monty lied as they levelled their weapons at him. Victor grabbed a metal bar, but they aimed at him. He didn't need to be a genius to see how this would play out.

Viera threw out a hand, which transformed into a long whip and wrapped it around the legs of one of the Kudabots, pulling its feet out from under it. The distraction caused them to look to her instead. Viera ran at them, transforming into a cloak in the air, engulfing them completely before contracting quickly, smashing them all together. She turned back into her normal form and looked to Victor and Monty who were just staring in awe.

"That was…so hot!" Monty said dreamily. Viera came over to him and grabbed him, kissing him deeply.

"Thank you." She told him. "Now, is the next part ready?"

"I've got them ready." Victor answered, pulling out some Kudabot parts and beginning to strap on some of the armour.

"It won't be long before they figure out something's wrong." She stated, looking at one of the Kudabots, before transforming to look like one of them. She flicked one of their spears up into her hands and twirled it around skilfully. "We need to move!"

"Monty…she is definitely a keeper!" Victor said, before realising Monty was still completely dumbstruck by what had just happened. "Monty, disguise!"

"Oh…right." Monty said, grabbing pieces of Kudabot.

Down on Earth, the battle was raging. Brody was using every trick he could think of to get through the battle. Galvanax was powerful, perhaps the most powerful thing he had ever faced, and he had to keep moving in order to keep out of harm's way.

Galvanax stomped on the ground, sending out an earthquake that disturbed the ground, forcing Brody into the air. Mick was thrown to the ground painfully a little way off.

"Ripcon always told me it was a mistake to keep you around." Galvanax stated as Brody landed, regrouping a little way from him.

"He was right." Brody told him. "You should have finished me when you had the chance!"

Brody went for him, swinging his sword in massive arcs. Galvanax blocked the blows, but was still staggered by Brody's sheer ferocity. Brody could only stare into the gruesome, snarling mask of the creature that had taken his entire life from him, imagining driving his fist right through it, straight into his brain and snuffing out his life. Galvanax grabbed him and picked him up, slamming him to the ground, before trying to drive his naginata through him. Brody was barely able to get out of the way, rolling away from him.

"You're good, perhaps as good as your father was." Galvanax complimented him. "You're still no match for me Red Ranger!"

"Because I only have part of the power of the Nexus Star?" Brody asked him. "It'll still be enough to destroy you, even if I have to destroy myself in the process!"

"You might have had a chance before, but now I'm infused with the power of the Ninja Steel!" Galvanax told him. "The power of all your weapons now flows in my veins!"

"You infused yourself with the Ninja Steel?" Brody asked, realising the gravity of the situation. Now it made sense, his blows were barely affecting Galvanax. He was strong, stronger than even Brody could remember. If he really was infused with Ninja Steel then he would be all but invincible! Of course, he didn't have all of it, Brody still had his Power Star and…

He looked over, seeing the discarded title belt, which still carried the remaining Power Stars. Galvanax seemed to notice his glance, because soon they were both running for it. Brody lunged for it, but barely kept his hand, pulling it back just short as Galvanax drove the point of his naginata down.

Brody kicked him in the face, rolling back, before swinging hard, slicing through the naginata, taking off the blade. Galvanax stared in disbelief at the shaft of the weapon, which gave Brody enough time to run for him, sliding his blade up between his right pauldron and his chest plate, slicing across and sending it flying. Galvanax punched him away, a blow that felt like it was in danger of smashing every one of Brody's ribs, but he stared at the armour. Brody just looked to him and smiled.

"YOU might be infused with the Ninja Steel, but clearly your weapons aren't!" Brody told him. "I don't care if I have to take you a piece at a time!"

Galvanax threw aside the haft of his naginata, before getting back to his feet, pulling into a guard.

"I have lain waste to entire planets with that!" Galvanax roared. "I'm going to crush you into oblivion with my bare hands!"

Up on the Warrior Dome, Sarah was working on the electronic keypad as the others bided their time.

"Maybe we could just try combinations?" Calvin suggested.

"It's a six-digit code, there are over one million combinations." Sarah told him. "Besides, we don't know if there's an anti-brute-force protocol."

"You've already ripped the panel off the wall." Calvin pointed out.

"No, brute-force hacking." Sarah told him. "Brute Force is a term in hacking which means basically trying every possible combination until you find the right one. Most systems have a fail-safe which basically locks out the system if you enter an incorrect code too many times. Even if the lock-out was only temporary it would all add to the time it would take to find the code."

"It's probably 000000." Calvin stated. "I mean, these guys aren't that bright. They'd need something easy right?"

"Just…let me work!" Sarah told him. "If I can just concentrate I can…OW! DAMN IT!"

The control panel sparked and Sarah's arm jumped back unnaturally. Preston was quickly by her side, holding her as she glared at the panel.

"Are you alright?" Preston asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine but the panel is toast!" She screamed.

"Can you fix it?" Hayley asked.

"Not with what I have here!" Sarah told him.

"Is there another way?" Levi asked her.

"Unless one of you can walk through walls no!" Sarah answered. "This panel is completely burned out! The only way would be to use the panel on the other side!"

"Preston, can you…?"

"Uh…I…don't have my wand on me." Preston interrupted Hayley. They all just stared at him. "What? I thought we were going into space today! I didn't want to risk losing it!"

"Well, you got part of that right." Hayley sighed. "So, what can we do?"

Just then, they heard the locking mechanism triggering. They all just stared at each other.

"What's going on?" Preston asked.

"I don't know, but this might be our one shot." Levi responded, picking up a length of chain and wrapping it around his fist. The door slid open and three Kudabots came in. The Rangers were quick to pounce, but they quickly stopped when they heard them screaming.

"Please, stop!" One of them squealed. Calvin released the headlock he had on it.

"Um…did this one just beg?" He asked. "I didn't know Kudabots could even talk."

Monty pulled off the Kudabot head, revealing his identity. Victor did the same, while Viera returned to her normal form.

"Victor? Monty?" Hayley asked.

"Viera?" Preston asked. "You can shape-shift again?"

"It's a long story, one we don't have time for." Victor rushed out. "We saw where they have the teleport controls but we need to move now. It won't be long before they figure out we've escaped."

"Oh God." Sarah rushed out. "I can't believe this."

"How did you guys open the door?" Calvin asked them.

"Oh, Victor figured out the code!" Monty told them.

"Oh God!" Sarah reiterated.

"Yeah, I looked for whichever buttons had smudges on them. Those were the only buttons that have been pressed recently." Victor told them.

"Somebody wake me up." Sarah said, desperately pinching herself. "This can't be happening."

"Really, so…what was the code?" Calvin asked. Victor just smiled.

"Only one button was smudged." He informed them.

"Oh, dear God, please don't say it." Sarah groaned.

"Zero." He said, standing in a heroic pose. "The code was 000000!"

"Really? Isn't that a thing!" Calvin said, looking to Sarah, who was stomping on the floor.

"Any time you want to open up and swallow me that would be great!" She called out.

"Come on guys, we need to get out of here." Levi stated. "You said you know the way?"

"Yeah." Monty answered.

"Then that means you're taking point." Levi answered. "Back into your disguises. The rest of us will follow out of sight!"

"Come on Monty!" Victor declared, putting his Kudabot head back on. "Time to go save the human race!"

As they left, Sarah just shook her head in amazement.

"I will never live it down if I end up owing my life to Victor!" She muttered.

Back on Earth, Brody and Galvanax continued to trade blows, neither one of them willing to give up an inch. For Galvanax, his pride was on the line. He had been called out, tested, his invincibility challenged by a mere child that should be grateful he was even allowed to live.

For Brody, Galvanax had taken everything from him. His father, his brother, his childhood, his home, all of it was ripped away by Galvanax in his selfish pursuit of power. Beyond that, he had no idea how many lives he had destroyed. How many planets had been left in ruin before he even found the Nexus Prism? How many worlds had he sent his competitors to in his insane contest to have them prove they were 'worthy' of claiming a Power Star? How many lives had been the price for Galvanax to finally infuse himself with the Ninja Steel? Brody couldn't begin to imagine the cost in blood of Galvanax's ambition, but he would ensure every drop was repaid if he could.

Galvanax was now down to using his fists, but even at that he was deadly. Brody had seen him in enough contests to know that Galvanax didn't really need weapons to end lives or destroy bodies. He had torn limbs from bodies without the need for any weapons. He was caught with another harsh blow to the jaw, this one sending shards of his helmet flying and exposing his lower face. Galvanax stood over Brody, who was scooting backwards to get away from him as he stomped downwards, aiming to crush him beneath his immense bulk.

"Hold still will you?" Galvanax screamed at him. "Hold still and take your fate like a man!"

"I think I'll pass on that one!" Brody yelled, sliding beneath Galvanax's legs, before leaping onto his back. Galvnax tried to shake him off as Brody got to work, cutting straps wherever he could. Galvanax's left pauldron fell to the ground, while Galvanax grabbed Brody's sword as he went to cut his throat. The Ninja Sword snapped in his grip, leaving a short, broken dagger, but not before Brody managed to grab his helmet and cut loose the chin strap. Brody fell away and rolled away from Galvanax, getting to his feet before realising he was still holding his helmet. He looked to the alien in the fading light of the evening and sneered.

"No wonder you wear this thing." Brody told him. "You definitely look better with it on!"

"As far as last words go, I've heard worse." Galvanax retorted.

"Trust me, I've got a LOT more where that came from!" Brody replied as he ripped off the remains of his helmet.

Back on the Warrior Dome, Victor, Monty and Viera made their way through the corridors of the ship, trying not to be noticed. The Rangers followed on at a safe distance, using all the skills Brody had taught them to ensure they kept out of sight. They got to an area, which was marked as "production."

"MONTY!" Levi whispered harshly, waving him over. Monty made his way to him. "You led us to the production room?"

"Uh…"

"You said you could take us to the teleport controls!" Hayley added.

"We can it's just…uh…" Monty started to stammer. "They're…not the easiest to access right now."

"Why?" Calvin asked as he got the feeling he was about to lose his temper.

"They're…uh…there." Victor said, pointing down a hall. They could all hear the sound of crowds cheering and could see some production assistants waiting.

"On the stage?" Levi asked. "The controls are on the stage?"

"Well…" Victor started to say.

"You mean on the stage right in the middle of monster central?" Sarah asked. "Oh, that's just great!"

"Well, Odious is on the top of the ship, and it's just Cosmo out there." Monty reminded them.

"What about Wrench?" Sarah asked. "You know, big robot guy, shiny, carries an axe?"

"Heads up!" Levi called out as the door to the production room opened. Wrench sprinted out, heading down the corridor.

"No, no, no, no!" He rushed out, turning off an alarm that was sounding on his tablet. "It's WAY too early for incubation to be complete! No, no, no, NO!"

As he ran down the hall, Levi looked to the others and shrugged.

"OK, we might not get a better shot." He stated. "Victor, Monty, Viera, you guys…uh…cause a distraction."

"A distraction?" Victor asked him.

"Yeah, so we can get closer to the controls!" Sarah clarified. "By the time they notice we're there, we'll be able to reach the controls and teleport out!"

"What makes you think we can distract him?" Victor asked. Sarah just smiled.

"Victor, you're definitely a great distraction!" Sarah told him. Victor just grinned and nodded.

"Come on Monty, let's do this!" He answered. They both headed out onto the stage, where Cosmo was commentating the match.

"Oh, and the Red Ranger looks really in trouble now! I don't think a human is meant to bend that way!" He stated. "Ah, that red stuff, now I KNOW that's meant to be on the inside! He is not looking so good now and…HEY!"

He spun around as Victor and Monty bumped into him. He stared at what appeared to be a couple of Kudabots that had wandered onto the stage.

"What are you doing here? We're in the middle of a show here!" He yelled at them angrily.

"Uh…we…were…told…to…go…help…Galvanax." Monty said in his best impression of a robotic voice while he and Victor performed what could only be described as the worst rendition of 'the robot' ever performed. Sarah just face-palmed.

"Well, at least he's not looking at us." Calvin said as they started to sneak around the back of the stage.

"Well, alright, if it'll get you out of here!" Cosmo said, turning to the controls. His hand hovered over the yellow button before a thought occurred to him. "Wait a minute, Kudabots can't talk!"

He swiped with his cane, knocking the heads off Victor and Monty, revealing their identities.

"Humans! Uh…UGLY humans too! Who the hell are you?" He inquired in disgust. Just then, he noticed some movement a little way off and saw the Rangers. "THE RANGERS! THEY'RE ESCAPING!"

"HEY!" Victor yelled, before punching Cosmo as hard as he could straight in the face. "Who are YOU calling ugly, freak!"

"Victor!"

"Monty, figure out how that things works!" Victor told him. "You guys go and help Brody!"

"Victor, what are you doing?" Sarah yelled at him as he picked up his spear, snapping it in half, leaving him with only a short haft and the blade.

"You want a distraction, that's what you're going to get!" Victor yelled as basher bots stormed the stage. He took one of them down with a thrust from his spear, before grabbing its sword, swinging wildly with it at the others.

"Victor, you can't…"

"If you guys don't take care of Galvanax and Odious, it doesn't matter what happens, we're all dead anyway!" Victor called out. "GO!"

"OK, I think this is…" Monty said, pressing the purple button. He gulped as a Skullgator appeared in the middle of the audience. "Um…wrong one! Maybe it's this one?"

With that, he pressed the yellow button. The Rangers saw the machine starting to spark to life.

"That's our cue to go!" Levi stated. "Victor! Monty! It's time to go!"

With that, they all broke into a run, diving into the sparks and disappearing. Cosmo pulled himself to his feet in time to watch a Skullgator starting to devour his audience.

"Um…we're experiencing a few technical difficulties!" He rushed out. "Damn those humans!"

Meanwhile, down on Earth, Brody was getting pummelled as the battle started to take its toll on him. Mick came to his side as he struggled to get up.

"Brody, come on, we have to run!" Mick told him.

"NO Mick, I'm sick of running!" Brody told him. "That star came to us, came to my family, so I could protect it from evil like HIM!"

"Big words!" Galvanax taunted him. "I remember your father saying something similar."

"Yes, and you also remember what he did to protect it!" Brody answered. Mick grabbed him.

"Uh…Brody, we don't have any Ninja Steel." He reminded him. "We have literally nothing that has the power to destroy that star, even if we wanted to."

"It's just as well there's still one last source of Ninja Steel then isn't it?" Brody answered. He ran straight for Galvanax, dodging past his first swipe. He didn't see the others appearing a little way off. His focus was only on Galvanax.

"Brody!" Levi called out as he saw him. Calvin grabbed him and pointed.

"Guys, look!" He yelled, pointing to the title belt. Both Brody and Galvanax were so busy locked in their deadly game of winner-take-all that they didn't notice them running over to the title belt and retrieving their Power Stars.

"NINJA SPIN!" They chorused together, morphing into their Ranger forms. Galvanax knocked Brody to his knees, and lunged for him, bringing his fist down in a destructive ark, aiming to dash his skull open. Brody pulled the remains of his Ninja Sword, housing the Power Star into the destructive path of Galvanax's fist. As his fist connected, there was a bright flash and an explosion. A huge shockwave ripped through the entire Romero Farm. Windows shattered, fences fell apart and the buildings shook in their foundations.


	51. The Champion

Up on the Warrior Dome, Wrench skidded to a halt outside of his lab, almost slamming into the wall. He punched in his code desperately, fumbling in his desperation.

"Wrench? WRENCH! Where the devil are you?" Cosmo screamed through his communicator. "Wrench, those humans set a Skullgator loose in the middle of the audience! Those are…those are some of my platinum-level subscribers! Do you have ANY idea how much of my revenue stream comes from them?"

Wrench turned off his communicator. As much as he was concerned about the thought of a Skullgator on the loose, he had another issue to worry about. The alarm in his lab had activated, indicating that his project was nearing its completion. He knew that Odious was planning to make her move soon, and since she was currently on the roof of the Warrior Dome, watching the Championship Bout, he doubted he had long left. Still, he thought he had a little more time before his incubation chambers completed their work.

He finally managed to open the door to his lab, going inside. He couldn't see anything as thick, brightly coloured smoke filled the room. The floor was strewn with broken equipment, and the only light he could see was sparks from ruined machinery. Wrench made his way in slowly, cautiously.

"Hello?" He asked cautiously. He gripped his axe tightly. He knew what had happened, but he still hoped he wasn't yet too late. "Uh…if I find an intern in here, I'll carve you up like…"

He came up to the hidden wall in his lab, finding it had been forced open. Inside, the three incubation chambers were smashed open, the glass strewn outwards.

He was grabbed roughly and slammed against a wall. He started to quake in terror as he heard a familiar, gravelly voice.

"You!" The voice growled. "Traitor!"

"Please…Please, I…I saved you!" Wrench begged. "I…I brought you back!"

He could see three shadowy silhouettes through the smoke. The one holding him drew in closer.

"Yes, and you took your time about it, too didn't you?" He asked. "Now, why don't you tell us why?"

The air was still and silent. The worst thing in any show was dead air, long periods of silence or inaction, but it was unavoidable in this case. The explosion had ripped through the Romero Farm, sending everyone to the ground. It was some time before anyone started to stir. Sarah didn't even know how long she had been out; her hearing was still buzzing as she finally made out the sound of her Ninja-Comm bleeping. She answered it cautiously.

"If…if this is someone calling to tell me we're dead…at what point does the planet stop spinning?" She asked.

"Sarah, I don't know what happened!" She heard a voice screaming. It took her a while to recognise it.

"Redbot?" She asked.

"Sarah, something strange just happened…I don't know how to explain it!" Redbot stammered.

"Galvanax hit Brody then…everything kind of went boom." She grumbled. "It's…still kind of going boom."

"Sarah, the Nexus Prism, it's gone!" Redbot rushed out. Sarah started to shake her head in confusion.

"What?" She asked. Another voice came on the Ninja-Comm.

"Sarah, the big star thing…it started spinning and glowing and then…it just vanished!" Principal Hastings yelled in a panic.

"I…think I might know where it is." Sarah answered as she became aware of a bright light shining a little way from her. The other Rangers and Galvanax were also starting to come to and get slowly back to their feet. They were all naturally drawn to a powerful light source. Sitting in the middle of the field was the Nexus Prism, glowing more brightly than they had ever seen before.

"Brody?" Levi asked. "Has anyone seen Brody?"

"Mick?" Calvin called out. "Guys, I can't see either of them anywhere!"

"NO!" Galvanax screamed as his mind was taken back a full decade, remembering what had happened the last time. He could see no sign of the Red Ranger, but there, right where he had been standing when he smashed the Power Star was the Nexus Prism, just like before when he had fought Brody's father. "He's gone! And the Nexus Prism appeared in his place! Just like last time!"

He ran at the Nexus Prism, pressing his hands against it, but they would not pass through. He started to pound on the Prism, smashing into it with his fists wildly, but succeeded only in creating smoke and sparks as it repelled him.

"Why does this keep happening to me? This place is CURSED!" He screamed. "I WANT THOSE POWER STARS!"

There was a brilliant flash of light, and Galvanax was thrown back, smashing straight into the workshop, which collapsed on top of him. By the time any of the Rangers could see again, there were three figures standing before them.

"Um…alright, I know I've had my bell rung pretty good, but…am I the only one seeing three Red Rangers?" Preston asked.

"No, I…I see them too." Hayley added. "But…they're all different."

They all stared in disbelief as before them, three Red Rangers stood. One was the Red Ranger exactly as they had always known him. To his left, there was another but instead of black, his sash was silver. The one on the right had a gold sash.

"Brody!" They all called out. Brody removed his helmet and smiled, coming over to his friends.

"What happened?" Levi asked him.

"I…I have no way of explaining it. It was like…peace…the kind of peace I could never even have dreamed of." Brody told them. "It was warm and it was light and…I just knew that everything would be alright…then before I know it, I'm back here!"

He saw the Rangers staring and turned around, only now noticing the other two Red Rangers.

"Uh…who are they?" He asked.

"We were kind of hoping you could tell us." Sarah conceded. The one in the silver sash pulled off his helmet, revealing his identity.

"MICK!" They all rushed out excitedly, coming over to hug him. He smiled and nodded.

"I can honestly say I never thought I'd see the day I'd be a Red Ranger." He stated. "I always thought I'd suit Orange better for some reason. That Prism has more tricks up its sleeve than Preston!"

"I'll say it does." Calvin added, pointing to the one remaining Red Ranger. Brody and Levi though were already making their way over. While the others were trying to figure out who else could possibly be here, something inside them, deep in their core stirred and they already knew. Brody and Levi reached out hopefully, reluctantly, hoping that this was not just some illusion.

"Dad?" Levi asked. "Is…Is that really you?" The last Red Ranger pulled off his helmet, looking on his sons with tears of joy running down his face. They had been mere children when he had last seen them. He nodded and reached out.

"My boys." He announced, pulling them both in, gripping them tightly. "My boys! You…you're both safe."

The others could say nothing. Nothing needed to be said. Any questions, any explanations, all of that could wait. All they knew was that after ten long years, ten years of believing their father was gone, Brody and Levi had him back. Sarah was wiping away some tears.

"Sarah, why are you crying? You were the one that told Brody that anything is possible! That you had seen people come back from the dead loads of times!" Preston reminded her, putting his arm around her. Sarah just nodded.

"No…no matter how many times I see this, I can never get over it!" Sarah sniffed. "Miracles do happen!"

Meanwhile, up on the Warrior Dome, Cosmo was still hiding behind part of the set as the Skullgator rampaged through his audience, making snacks out of some of his highest-paying customers. He finally saw an opening, rushing to his control console as it faced away from him, devouring the baron of a far-off galaxy. He slammed his hand down on the recall control, sending the Skullgator back to the pens.

"Ladies and Gentlemonsters, please…please try to remain calm. You will of course receive a…uh…ten percent refund." He stated looking around at the devastation. "And your pick of any two items of merchandise, less than two…no…one hundred space bullion apiece…and of course your ship's docking is gratis."

He saw the audience had finally stopped trying to leave, but it didn't seem to be his attempts to give as little as possible away in the wake of about a fifth of his audience ending up as snacks for a Skullgator, they were all glued to the screen behind him. Cosmo looked up, seeing the scene unfolding behind him. He threw his hands up to the screen.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the show is not yet over!" He declared. "The Rangers believe that they've won, but…I see from our scanners that the Champ yet breathes! The Endgame is still to come!"

He then went to his control panel and started fiddling with the controls.

"And since the Rangers have some reinforcements, it seems only fair our Champ gets the same!" He declared.

The Rangers were still lost in the scene as Dane hugged his two sons, almost as though he was scared to let them go in case, they were taken from him again. They were only interrupted as they heard some cracking behind them. They all turned in time to see the debris from the workshops starting to move.

"Oh, I knew this was too good to last." Calvin gulped. They all put their helmets back on, summoning their Ninja Swords. After a few moments, eventually there was a shower of splintered wood as the remains of the workshop flew apart. Galvanax stood before them, bleeding from some superficial cuts on his face and neck. He climbed out of the debris, ending up in the yard before them. His breathing was heavy, raspy, but he glared at them all hatefully. He locked eyes with Dane.

"YOU!" He growled. "I'd recognise your stench anywhere!"

"Funny, I was thinking of saying the same." Dane answered. "Nice face. I can see why you keep it covered."

"I already said that." Brody told him. Dane just laughed.

"Sorry, I was late to the party." He stated.

"Uh guys? We have more problems." Mick said, turning around as there was a bright flash. This time, the Rangers saw waves upon waves of Basherbots and Kudabots, an army spreading as far as any of them could see.

"You guys deal with that." Dane told them. "The Romero boys have a score to settle!"

"Alright, you heard the man." Mick gulped, gripping his sword. "So…what now?"

"I know you're wearing Red, but how about just this once…?"

"Oh, I have NO problems handing over the reins to you, Sarah!" Mick interrupted her. "You're the most experienced of all of us."

"Guys?" Sarah asked.

"Team Pink, all the way!" Hayley told her best friend. Victor, Monty and Viera all came into view, carrying whatever weapons they could find.

"We might not be Rangers." Victor told her. "But the way I see it, if they win, we die whether we fight or not. Personally…I'd like to take a few of these guys with me!" Sarah smiled.

"Then let's raise some HELL!" Sarah screamed as they all ran straight into the heart of the army, smashing down robots as they went.

Dane, Brody and Levi all started to fan out, surrounding Galvanax as he started to look left and right, sizing them all up. Dane pointed straight at him.

"Galvanax…"

"Is this the point where you offer me the chance to leave with my life?" Galvanax scoffed. Dane just shook his head.

"No, this is the part where I suggest if you believe in a God, now would be a good time to make your peace with it." With that, Dane launched himself into the air, coming for Galvanax with a fury born of a decade ripped from his family.

Elsewhere in the city, Trevor was lying on his couch, twitching and stirring. He had been reading a book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, but at some point, he had drifted off. However, it was far from a restful sleep.

Many years ago, he found himself waking up in what he could only hope was a hospital. He hadn't expected to wake up at all. His battle against The Ghosts had left him so drained, he was sure he was done for. The only comforting thought was knowing that they would never again harm anyone else.

He could hear the bleep from a few machines and as he started to come around, he could feel tubes and wires connected to him all over. The only thing that made this not seem like a hospital was the fact he had been in more than a few field hospitals and knew that most didn't have private rooms. Many didn't even have rooms! They were hastily-erected temporary buildings, sometimes merely tents that would house dozens of patients at a time. Wherever he was, the walls were dark, and he was the only one in the room…or so he thought.

"What's the prognosis?" He heard a voice say. He struggled to see, whoever it was that was speaking was standing outside his field of vision. He tried to move, but he was restrained, preventing him from turning even his head. He wasn't sure if they were for his safety because of his injuries, or if he was now under arrest for disobeying a direct order not to move on The Ghosts.

"It'll be some time, but physically he should make a full recovery." Another voice said. "Psychologically…I couldn't possibly say until we speak to him."

"That can wait." The first voice said. "Right now, the only one that speaks to him is me. That's a matter of National Security."

He heard footsteps, before he finally saw someone. It was an older man, what little hair he had was white, and he had deeply wrinkled skin. There were some scars too. He was wearing a dark suit, the only decoration on it being a lapel pin of a US flag.

"Well, that was quite some mess you made Sergeant Marx." The man told him. Trevor tried to speak, but his mask wouldn't let him. The man just chuckled. "Still the fighter."

The man wandered around the bed to a position where Trevor could see him better. He started leafing through a file.

"You have your friend Sergeant Vincent to thank for your life. He pulled you out of that carnage you created." The man told him. "You could thank him…if he was still alive."

Trevor struggled to get loose. The man held up a hand.

"Hey, that was nothing to do with us! They ran into an ambush bringing what was left of your sorry ass back to barracks!" He told him. "He saved you and the rest of his unit, but it cost him his life. He's going to get full honours, I'm sure that'll be a great comfort to his family."

Trevor again struggled to get up. The man turned up his morphine drip a little.

"Settle down." He told him. "You really have made a complete shit storm do you know that? Do you have ANY idea what would happen if anyone back home heard about what happened out here?"

Trevor just glared at him. He didn't care about politics. He didn't care about who would be embarrassed or would see their career hampered. All he was concerned about was that innocent people were being killed. The man just looked to him.

"I have here a written statement. It is the ONLY statement you will ever make regarding this." He told him. "The General…you'll never speak of again. That man is going to be a Senator one day. He's a big part of our country's future. As far as the world is concerned, what happened was a chance encounter that went bad."

He pulled in closer.

"You'll be pensioned off, given an honourable discharge, and you'll sign this statement, which includes a life-time National Security clause of non-disclosure." The man told him. "If you don't…where we put you, Amnesty International has never even heard of. You'll never see the light of day again. Are we clear soldier?"

Trevor knew exactly what this was. It galled him to think that no one would ever know what really happened, that the whole thing would be swept under the rug. It was likely they would never even reveal the nature of the engagement in which an entire unit of Military Police officers had been killed. However, even Trevor knew there were some fights he would never win. He nodded his head.

"Good boy." The man replied with a smile. "Now, rest up. We'll get you the best care in the world. There's no reason you can't have a long and healthy life after this."

Trevor woke with a start, looking around. He wiped his face, before seeing the book lying on the floor. He picked it up and threw it across the room, before looking to the clock. Realising it wouldn't be long before his wife came home, he headed to the kitchen to start dinner.

Up on the top of the Warrior Dome, Madame Odious was watching the battle with keen interest. It was difficult, even for her, who had seen countless battles to tell which side truly had the upper hand. The Rangers so far were making impressive headway with the army of robots, but that didn't mean that couldn't change once exhaustion became a factor. The real matter of interest was the two Red Rangers and the Gold Ranger battling Galvanax.

They surrounded him, and took turns engaging him in lightning-fast hit and run attacks. Galvanax would occasionally get a hold of one of them or land a telling blow, but the Romeros were completely in synch with each other, one of them quickly on top of him before he could land a finishing blow on any of them. She smiled as she watched on.

"COSMO!" Galvanax called out, so loudly she could even hear him all the way up on the ship. "MAGNA BEAM!"

That was it, that was her moment to act. She pressed a button on her handset, triggering an explosion on the ship. Galvanax and all the Rangers stared upwards.

"WHAT?" He called out. Madame Odious cackled evilly as she looked down on him.

"You never could figure it out, could you Galvanax?" She taunted him. "All this time you thought Ripcon was the traitor, but who was the one that was always in your ear? Who was the one that guided you to that conclusion?"

"You…YOU!" Galvanax roared.

"YES, FINALLY YOU GET IT!" Odious screamed. "And now, thanks to the humans, I will FINALLY have all the power I ever needed! Thank you for your service Galvanax! You were…useful!"

"The humans?" Sarah asked, before looking to Victor and Monty, who were a little way off. "You created another Mega Mag!"

"Yeah, we did." Monty said with a smile. She just shook her head.

"What ARE you smiling about?" She screamed. Just then, Odious activated the Mega Mag. Everyone looked up to see…nothing! Nothing happened!

"What?" Odious screamed, smacking the handset off her hand. "This useless piece of…"

She was interrupted by a loud roar. She turned around in time to see a massive streak of burning light coming down through the atmosphere. She threw her hands up as it came straight for the ship, letting out a massive scream. The Rangers and Galvanax all watched as the object smashed into the ship, sending it spinning clear out of the atmosphere, before it streaked to Earth, smashing into the ground, likely several miles away. The Rangers all turned to stare at Monty.

"I…might have found an asteroid with some Ninja Steel in it." He stated. "And I…might have just made a few alterations to the direction of the beam."

"Holy shit!" Calvin gasped. "We were all saved by…MONTY?"

Viera went over to him, grabbing him and kissing him passionately. Sarah had to shake her head clear as a blast narrowly missed her.

"Oh, right…the battle!" Sarah stated. "Come on, let's finish this!"

Galvanax was still staring in the direction the ship had headed, before turning his attention back to Dane, Levi and Brody. He could see them all standing ready to strike.

"It's over Galvanax!" Dane called out. "Ready boys?"

With that, they all ran straight for Galvanax. Dane dashed left, taking careful aim with his blade. Armoured plates fell from Galvanax's left arm and leg as he tried to get to Dane, but the Air Ninja was untouchable, just like his element.

Brody was next, taking advantage of the distraction to dash out to the right. More plates fell, leaving only his body covered.

Levi spun through, smashing into Galvanax's armour a couple of times, before dropping his weapon and holding out his hands. Dane and Brody threw him their swords, which he used to cut off the remainder of Galvanax's armour, before ducking down. By now, Dane had snatched up the Rockstorm Blaster and with rapid blasts, sent Galvanax staggering, ripping into him with each blast.

"This is a hell of a weapon!" Dane said, looking to it as he tossed it back to Levi, retrieving his sword. Levi threw Brody his sword. "Not exactly traditional."

"It suited me!" Levi said proudly. "What do you say we send him home without any encores?"

With that, all three of them powered up their weapons to their maximum capacity. They rushed through, slicing into Galvanax, one by one, each hit unleashing tremendous, blinding energy flashes. As Dane leapt into the air, coming down with a massive, double-handed overhead strike, Galvanax started to spark, before falling backwards with an anguished scream and exploded. Dane, Brody and Levi all turned around in time to see the rest of their friends finishing off the last of the robots.

"I…I can't…I can't believe it." Preston stammered. "Is it really over?"

"Not quite." Dane told them, noticing something. He strode over, picking up Galvanax's championship belt. He looked to each of his sons, who both nodded in agreement. Taking it in both hands, he tore it in half, throwing the pieces down into the mud.

"Show's over." He declared. "Ninjas win!"


	52. Broken Broadcast

On the Warrior Dome, as the ship finally stopped spinning and tumbling out of control, the emergency systems finally activating the stabilising jets to stop and right the ship, the other systems were going into overdrive. Fire-suppressant sprays had activated and were going to work putting out flames all over the ship. Controls and lights sparked and the low-level emergency lights kicked in, giving them some kind of light to work by.

Most of the corridors were eerily still and quiet. The main stage area was like a war zone. Between the rampaging Skullgator that Monty had set loose before they escaped and the blast which ripped right through, it was in ruins. Debris lay strewn all across the area and the audience, or what was left of them, lay completely destroyed.

Some debris on the stage started to move, and there was a small glow from inside. After a moment, a bubble of energy pulsed outwards, throwing it aside and revealing Cosmo. He had seen the asteroid coming on the screen during the broadcast and had managed to activate a personal force field. It did nothing to help his audience, but it had saved his skin. He started to look around at the scene of devastation frantically, before finally finding what he was looking for. Picking up his top-hat, he dusted it off, before twirling it onto his head.

"Computer, give me a damage report!" Cosmo declared. There was a voice, but it was so faint and crackling that he couldn't make out anything it said. There was another explosion and the computer nearby just fell to the floor. "Well, I suppose that answers that now doesn't it?"

He turned to the back of the stage, where the Galaxy Warriors logo was still hanging and smiled. He had been down before. He had taken this thing from two-bit slug-fests in every slimy flea-pit stationed just beyond the jurisdiction of local law-enforcement to easily the most-watched form of entertainment in the universe! Fans loved a comeback story almost as much as they loved a new champion.

"Well, I suppose now all that's left is to find out who..." Just then, he heard something coming. He looked down the corridor. "...you...you...survived?"

Madame Odious staggered into the stage, her clothing ragged and bleeding from numerous wounds. Her face mask now sported a huge crack that ran right through her left eye. He couldn't see the damage there, since she was holding a hand over it, but considering the amount of blood running down her face and neck, he presumed it couldn't be good. He could only assume that like him, Odious had a personal force field, but even at that, she had been up on the roof of the ship, standing in the direct path of the asteroid! It was a miracle, or depending on one's point of view, the worst luck ever that she had even survived.

"Your concern is overwhelming!" She sneered. "Well, HELP ME!"

"Oh, yes...of course." Cosmo said, coming over to her. In many ways he was hoping she had been destroyed. He had known all along that Odious was the traitor. There was virtually nothing that happened on the Warrior Dome that he didn't know about, and the prospect of the most famous manager in the business turning on her most celebrated champion seemed like the plot twist in the finale that would tip it over the edge into the greatest show that had ever been broadcast! However, he was hoping that when Galvanax found out she would be destroyed. Galvanax would be much easier to manipulate.

"Did you see any...?"

"There are some survivors." She confirmed. "I passed at least one production plant, so we should be able to get some kudabots and basherbots ready to help rebuild my show soon."

"YOUR show?" Cosmo demanded. Odious grabbed him by the throat and started squeezing the life out of him. He now looked into her face, seeing that her one eye was missing.

"Yes, MY show!" She growled. "Consider this a hostile take-over bid! DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT?"

"Am I interrupting something?" Wrench asked, coming into view. Odious just smirked as she saw him. Cosmo started gurgling as he was forced to his knees in her grip. Wrench was there, and more than that, he was now fully re-built, being back to his former peak. Clearly during the chaos, he'd managed to repair himself in this lab.

"Well well, it seems your little tin toady managed to get through this!" She scoffed, dropping Cosmo on the floor. She pulled out her hammer and turned to face him. "If you think I've come this far to let the likes of you...?"

"Oh, I'm not going to do anything." He told her. "Them on the other hand..."

She saw some blazing red eyes appearing in the smoke down the corridor. Heavy, loud footsteps came towards her, and a huge, hulking frame started to form up. As he got closer, other shapes started to form, one some kind of horned daemonic beast, while the other one was...shaped like hearts? She heard a weapon powering up, and the new arrivals broke through the smoke, coming towards her.

"Guess who's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!" Poisandra said in a disturbingly sweet sing-song tone. "Ooh, Wrench wasn't kidding, it IS a TV show! I've always wanted to be on TV!"

"...I couldn't be so sure." Wrench replied. "I'd like to introduce you to Sledge, Poisandra and Fury, my..."

"Cram it tin-man!" Sledge growled, shoving him aside, aiming his canon directly at Odious. "Now...how about we find somewhere we can talk?"

Down on Earth, the Rangers and Viera were all gathered around a campfire outside the Romero place. While the house was still standing, it had been quite some time since anyone actually lived there and it was simply in no state for anyone to actually prepare a meal in there. Mick had borrowed the truck to take Victor and Monty home, and to have a little talk with them to try and ensure they knew how important it was they kept what they knew to themselves. Dane was sitting in the middle as they all listened intently to his story.

"When I destroyed the Nexus Prism Star, the blast nearly destroyed me." Dane told them. "I was sure I was done for. I felt the heat, and saw the flash and then...then all I knew was peace."

"Peace, quiet, warm..." Brody said, remembering his own few, short moments in that place. "It was like...nothing would ever be bad or uncomfortable again."

"So how did you know you weren't just dead?" Calvin asked. Dane pulled out a locket, looking to the picture inside.

"Because if I was, she would have been there." He told them. "I didn't know where I was, but I knew that my story wasn't over. I didn't know how to get out or what I was doing there, but I knew that someday I'd be back with my boys."

He clapped Levi and Brody on the shoulders and smiled.

"And then I appeared, and I found out you had become these amazing young men!" He told them. "I can't tell you enough how proud I am of both of you, or what it means to see the men you've grown up to be."

"And to think when Brody kept saying you were the greatest ninja ever we all thought it was just a kid bragging about his dad." Preston said without thinking. He found himself receiving an elbow in the ribs. "Hey! I wasn't the only one...!"

"It's alright...Preston is it?" Dane asked, trying to remember the names he had only just started to try and learn. Preston nodded. "I would have been sceptical too."

"Well it has to be said, without seeing the other Wind Ninjas in action, I for one don't think your son was exaggerating." Hayley stated. "I mean, you were kicking ass out there!"

"Hey, you were all doing great too!" Dane complimented them, looking to Brody. "You've taught a really good team there son. I'm not sure I could have done a better job myself!"

"I just...I can't believe that its really over." Calvin stated. "I mean, Galvanax was such a huge part of our lives and now..."

"I...don't think it's over." Sarah sighed. "Psycho Green is still out there, remember?"

"And we still have to find a way to send Viera home." Hayley added.

"Not to mention figuring out a way to help her with the revolution." Levi chipped in.

"Wow, way to bring down the party." Calvin said with a sulk. "If I never see that Psycho Green guy again I'll be a happy man!"

"But that's still a lot of power for some random person we don't know to be running around with unchecked." Brody reminded them. "We have no idea what he..."

"...or she!" Hayley chipped in. "What? A girl can be a super villain too!"

"Or she." Brody corrected himself. "Is planning to do with that power."

"Now I just feel depressed." Preston sighed.

"Well, the first rule of conflict is never to fight an enemy on their terms. Always force them to fight you on yours." Dane answered. "The ninjas always worked best when their enemies were forced to make the first move. That message we sent to the press should be airing soon, so he'll know soon enough he'll have to make the first move if he wants to face you. Just lie low for a little while, enjoy the peace. If he wants a fight, he'll show up again."

"So, what do we do in the meantime?" Hayley asked. Dane just smiled and reached behind him, picking up a guitar.

"What's a party without a little music?" He asked. "Come on 'Levi', let's see what those pipes of yours can do."

He, Levi and Brody all started to strum away on their guitars, playing a very familiar tune. The other Rangers all started to sway as they listened to the song. Dane led off with the song he had written for his sons so long ago.

"I'm with you,  
When you're far from home,  
I'm still with you,  
A family bond that can't break!"

He nodded to Levi, who was still and would always be his eldest son Aiden to him, no matter what he chose to call himself.

"I choose a star,  
Its light leads me home,  
To be with you,  
A family bond that can't break!"

The others then all joined in, adding to the chorus. This might have been the Romero family song, but that didn't mean to say the family hadn't gotten bigger.

"Together we are family,  
Every day now, we grow stronger,  
In our hearts now and forever..."

Over in the Foster house, Trevor was whistling in a care-free manner as he put the finishing touches to a spaghetti bolognaise. He had been stressed, and had been thoroughly shaken by his flashbacks, but now, he was starting to feel a little more at ease. He had a lot building up over recent times, between his frustration over the Rangers wrecking the city every other day, his 'suspension' from active duty and his newfound power, things had been spinning out of control for him for some time. Now though, as he started to smell the ingredients coming together on his favourite meal, he was starting to think, maybe this was all he needed. Maybe Laura had been right that all he needed was some time to himself. In fact, now he was starting to think perhaps calling in sick tomorrow wouldn't be the worst idea either.

The door opened and he smiled, knowing that he had timed things perfectly. Laura was always home around this time.

"Trevor?" She called through as she started to look for him.

"I'm through here!" He called out. She came in, at which he immediately grabbed her and kissed her. It was only as they parted he noticed something curious.

"Trevor, are you alright?" She asked him.

"Never better!" He declared. "You know, I really ought to listen to you more often, a day off was just the thing I needed!"

"You're...you're really feeling alright?" She asked him.

"Well, I did have a little bit of a freaky dream when I fell asleep reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." He chuckled. "I will NOT do that again! I swear I have no idea what Lewis Carol was on when he wrote that thing, but..."

He saw the look on her face.

"Why would you think I wouldn't be?" He asked her. Laura immediately started to look uncomfortable and he could see her starting to mentally back-pedal furiously.

"Oh...nothing...nothing." She said to him. "Hayley texted to say she's doing something with her friends tonight, she'll be home late. Oh, is that your bolognaise? It smells..."

"Laura, what happened?" Trevor asked her. She just looked a little panicked.

"Um...it was just...you know what the news is like." She told him. "I was just...being a worry wort. Oh, is that the good homemade garlic bread I can smell?"

"Laura, what happened?" He asked her again. Laura looked a little defeated as she headed to the couch, picking up the TV remote. She turned on the local news.

"And finally, our main story again, the Power Rangers in a spectacular battle outside of the city have seemingly destroyed Galvanax and his ship, which looks like it may have brought to an end his devastating war against Summer Cove!" The newscaster announced. "Summer Cove Public Network was lucky enough to receive this recording anonymously from our saviours!"

The image then switched to a location that couldn't be identified. It was a field, but there was nothing in the background. No buildings, no trees, no roads...great care had obviously been taken to ensure there were no landmarks to identify where the video had been shot. In the frame, the six Rangers, Red, Gold, Yellow, Blue, White and Pink were standing.

"People of Summer Cove. By now no doubt you'll be aware of the battle that took place a little outside your city." The Red Ranger began. "Rest assured, when we realised the enormity of what was coming we did our very best to lead the battle out of the city."

Trevor tensed up hearing this.

"We can report that the battle was indeed against Galvanax, and I can say with all confidence, we were victorious. His reign of terror is finally over!"

The Gold Ranger stepped forwards.

"The alien ship that's been over our heads now was destroyed." He continued. "The war is now over, and that is why we're making the following announcement."

"We know that not everyone is pleased to see us, and many of you have reasons to dislike us." The Red Ranger stated. "We apologise for any harm that was caused, but now that we're no longer needed, for the good of Summer Cove, the city we love so much, we've taken the decision to stand down."

Laura looked to Trevor worriedly. He was so tense he was starting to turn bright red and looked like his veins were in danger of exploding.

"All going well, this is the last time you'll see us." The Red Ranger told them. "But rest assured, if we're ever needed again, we'll be there. For now though, since our war is over, we're going to step aside and leave things to the proper authorities. We will no longer risk the safety and wellbeing of our home with our presence."

"To those that supported us, thank you." The Pink Ranger stated. "To everyone else, we wish you nothing but the best and hope one day you find it in your hearts to forgive us for any wrong we may have done you inadvertently."

"Ninjas out!" The Red Ranger announced, at which there was an explosion and they all disappeared in a puff of smoke. As the news came back, Laura approached Trevor cautiously.

"Well...that's a good thing right?" She asked him. "The monsters are gone, the Rangers..."

Trevor just stormed from the room, heading for the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Laura just sighed.

"Nicely done Laura." She muttered. "I really hope they keep their promise."

Meanwhile, up on the Warrior Dome, Wrench and Cosmo were sitting on the floor outside what was left of the Executive Lounge. Wrench had been hoping that bringing back Sledge would garner him enough gratitude that the hulking bounty hunter would destroy Odious, leaving the way clear for him. Unfortunately he had forgotten just how little gratitude meant to his former employer.

"What is going on in there?" Wrench grumbled. "They've been talking in there for ages!"

"Oh, they're no doubt thrashing out some kind of deal." Cosmo told him matter-of-factly. "I imagine soon Sledge will help her fix this place up in return for a ship to go along his merry way."

"Stupid jerk!" Wrench stated, kicking a piece of rubble down the hallway. "I brought him back! He was just a smear on the inside of his mask without me! He should be..."

"You've learned a valuable lesson in negotiation my boy." Cosmo stated. "Which is why I allowed you to bring that lumbering bronze-plated oaf back."

"Wait...what?" Wrench asked. Cosmo just looked to him unconvinced.

"Come with me." He told him. "I think you're finally ready!"

He led Wrench back to his office, shutting the door behind him. He grabbed the cocktail shaker and a couple of bottles which hadn't smashed, beginning to mix himself a drink. As he did so, he pressed a button on his desk, at which a hologram formed up before them. It was a dark throne, made of foreboding black stone. Sitting on it was a figure, that although his suit had changed since the last time he had seen him, Wrench instantly recognised. Then again, people tended not to forget the one that had cut off their arms and legs.

"DRAKKON!" He squealed.

"That's LORD Drakkon to you!" He corrected him. "Why is this fool here?"

"I believe he is finally ready." Cosmo told him. "I believe he can be of use to us in the future."

"So be it." Drakkon said dismissively. "So long as he doesn't get in the way of my plans, you may keep your little toady. What is the progress?"

"Progress?" Wrench asked, looking around at the wreckage. Cosmo just smiled.

"Well, there were a FEW surprises, I suffered a few more losses than I'd expected, but it'll just make my comeback all the more miraculous to my fans." Cosmo said, pouring himself a cocktail. "Those humans Odious kidnapped really did a number on my ship."

"You...you KNEW about that?" Wrench said in shock. Drakkon sat forward in his throne.

"Are you sure this one is as smart as you think?" Drakkon asked him.

"Well, he did bring back Sledge just like I was sure he would." He answered.

"You knew about that too?" Wrench asked him. Cosmo just waved him away.

"And Odious suspects nothing?" Drakkon asked.

"She was short-sighted even before she lost her eye." Cosmo chuckled.

"Then everything is going exactly as we planned." Drakkon said with a chilling note of elation in his voice. "She'll be encountering her first 'ally' shortly. In the meantime..."

"...continue to let her believe she's in control." Cosmo concluded. "And when we make our move?"

"Exactly as I promised, you will run my state media." Drakkon assured him. "Exclusive broadcasting rights across ALL universes!"

"Thank you my lord!" Cosmo stated. The transmission ended, and he looked to Wrench who was standing completely in amazement. Cosmo just smiled.

"How many times Wrench? Virtually NOTHING happens on this ship I don't know about! EVERYTHING that has happened has done so because I allowed it!" He told him. "Do you REALLY think that human could take me down with a single punch? Do you even think he could have touched me if I didn't let him?"

He sparked up a cigar and took a drag, before taking a sip.

"By the time this is over, I'll be the sole name in broadcast media in this or any other universe." Cosmo told him. "This next season of Galaxy Warriors is going to be the best one ever!"


	53. An Old Friend Visits

The following day at school was a pretty relaxed day all in. By now pretty much everyone had heard the news that Galvanax had been defeated and the Warrior Dome ship had been destroyed! The news articles had been playing out all through the night, and every newspaper and magazine had some kind of story or other connected to it on the front cover.

Then again, even if no one had heard about it before now…Victor and Monty were making sure everyone heard about it now!

The canteen was packed with kids, more kids than the Rangers had ever seen making them wonder if all of them were even Summer Cove High students, and they were all gathered around as Victor and Monty stood on a table recanting tales of heroism. Needless to say, some of the facts were more than a little creatively edited.

"So, there I was, surrounded by robots, the evil, vile, hideous Cosmo Royale stood right in front of me!" Victor declared as Monty held up a pillow. "So, I said to him, 'Not my planet sunshine!' and socked him right on the nose! BAM!"

He punched the pillow away as the kids continued to listen. The Rangers all sat, shaking their heads.

"Does anyone else think it kind of sucks that Victor and Monty get to brag and we don't?" Calvin asked. "I mean, I'm not saying I want a Congressional or anything but seriously, we just saved the whole planet and we get precisely none of the credit while those two are milking it for all they're worth!"

"Strictly speaking we'd have failed pretty epically as ninjas if everyone knew what we did. Being anonymous is kind of the point." Brody sighed. "But yeah, it does kind of suck."

"Come on guys, this is the last day before the holiday." Hayley chipped in. "We should be a lot more cheerful than this!"

"Hayley's right, let them have their fun." Mick said with a smile as he arrived. "They've been through a lot, and they did help us out quite a bit. If they get a little bit of limelight, what does it matter?"

"But what if they run their mouths a little too much?" Hayley asked him. "You know, their stories can get pretty wild, even when they're completely untrue."

"Oh, they know to keep your names out of everything." Mick answered, pulling something out of his pocket. "I told them if they ever told anyone about your involvement in all of this, I'd use this to erase their memories of the last year."

"Uh…Mick? That's a Cylon Pez dispenser." Preston pointed out. Mick popped one of the chalky candies into his mouth.

"Well, you know that and I know that, but they don't." Mick replied as the others laughed. "Anyway, come to the base. There's some things we have to discuss."

"Sure thing Mick." Brody replied as he and the others all gathered their things. "Let's leave the story-tellers to their fun."

They made their way from the canteen to the shop class, and were heading for the secret entrance to the paint room when they noticed something odd.

"Mick, why is the door open?" Preston asked.

"Well, there's not much reason to keep them locked anymore." Dane said as he loaded a box onto a trolley.

"Dad?" Levi asked. "What are you doing here?"

"He's helping to clear out the base." Principal Hastings told them. "Now that Galvanax is gone, you won't really be needing it anymore, and I'd really like to get my paint room back at some point."

"It feels a little weird coming through the front door for once." Brody commented. "Say, where's Redbot?"

"I'm right here." The box in Dane's hands said.

"You took him apart?" Calvin asked.

"Well, we thought people might just notice a big red robot walking down the hall." Mick stated. "Sorry Redbot."

"This is so humiliating." The Robot grumbled.

"It's only temporary." Dane assured him. "I thought he could come and stay with us on the farm."

"The farm?" Brody asked with a smile. Dane just nodded.

"We're going to fix it up across the holiday." Dane told him. "We're going to need somewhere to stay now we're a family again. Since I already own the deed to the property all I figured where better?"

"That's epic!" Brody answered.

"Now for the hard part." Mick said as he looked to Jennifer, who just nodded. "You got news from the Lion Galaxy?"

"The intergalactic law enforcement agency Space Patrol Delta has no jurisdiction in the Lion Galaxy, but that doesn't mean to say they don't know what's going on." Viera started to explain. "Sometimes the battles and wars within the Lion Galaxy spill out across the borders so they have to be ready. As you know Tiberius took over the throne, but there's been a lot of warring factions trying to claim control. Well, recently there's been a very interesting turn. Pro-Viera movements have started to gain and hold significant traction in the area."

"Wait, Pro-Viera?" Sarah asked. Viera just nodded.

"Apparently there was a major shift following my escape." She told them. "According to SPD's reports, a lot of people supported the ideas of my reforms. The support was largely underground at first, my imprisonment discouraged a lot of people, but when I escaped a number of them became emboldened."

"There are a lot of people who are fed up of the constant war in the Lion Galaxy, who believe in Viera's message." Mick explained. "We think the war might be about to take a critical turn."

"Which is why I'm going back." Viera told them. She looked to Mick. "We both are."

"You're going back?" Hayley asked her.

"I can't expect people to fight, to die for my message if I'm not even there." She responded. "But I'm not going to be going alone."

"I put out the call to former Rangers and found as many of them as I could that are prepared to go and fight." Mick informed them. "There may not be many who can go, but with their powers it could make all the difference. We'll be taking the Lion Fire Ship and the Lion Fire Armour."

"OK, but how can you use the Lion Fire Armour or the Lion Fire Ship?" Sarah asked. "I thought those Power Stars were destroyed when we destroyed Galvanax, and we haven't found the Super Ninja Steel yet."

"Well, there was one source left." Dane told them. "Mick and I discussed it, and since we were the last ones on the team, we figured it was only right we were the first ones to go."

"You melted down your own Power Stars?" Levi asked. Dane and Mick both nodded, showing the team the new Lion Fire Armour Star and Lion Fire Zord Star.

"Don't get me wrong, being a Ranger was…everything I've ever hoped it would be." Mick assured them. "But I figured that Viera needed the stars more than I did, so it looks like for me and Dane at least, it's one and done."

"That's…that's amazing." Brody stated. "But that means you'll be going without any powers."

"What can I say? It wouldn't be the first time." Mick told him. "Besides, I'm a mechanic. My role will be mainly behind the lines."

He walked over to Principal Hastings and took her hands in his own.

"I've met some…amazing people here, people that I would be only too happy to call my family, and if I was told I could never return to the Lion Galaxy I couldn't think of anywhere I'd rather stay or people I'd rather stay with." He said, cupping her cheek with his hand. "But the Lion Galaxy is my home, and if I have a chance to save it, I have to try."

"I understand." Jennifer replied, a tear starting to roll down her face.

"We all do." Sarah said sadly. "We're really going to miss you Mick."

"I'm going to miss all of you guys too." He replied, throwing his arms open wide. The Rangers all came in, hugging him tightly. There were a few tears, but before long they released him. He looked once more to Jennifer, he was about to say something but she just put a finger to his lips, before replacing it with her own. The others started to shift a little awkwardly, trying to look anywhere but at Mick and Jennifer. She parted from him without another word. While a large part of her wanted him to stay, she could understand why he had to go, and she could never ask him to choose.

"Dane has said he's going to help you find the asteroid and gather the Super Ninja Steel." Mick told them. "Anyway, I think it's time we were going. We have a ship to rendezvous with."

Viera took the Lion Fire Armour Star in her hand, and in a flash of light, she was once more wearing the armour of her ancestors. She made her way to Sarah and handed her an imaging disk.

"Give this to Monty." She told her. "He deserves to know why I'm going."

"I'll make sure he gets it." Sarah assured her. With that, Mick stood beside her and held onto her as she activated the teleport controls.

"Mick out." He announced as he disappeared. The Rangers all looked among each other as they processed what had happened.

"It all seems so final packing everything up." Hayley commented. "I don't think I've ever seen this place so empty before. It just seems so…big."

"Well, once we rebuild the workshop, I'm sure there'll be plenty of room for all of this." Dane told them. "Not to mention the yard is so much bigger, much better for training. I'll even be able to help out!"

"You'll be helping?" Calvin asked.

"Hey, my days as a Ranger may be over, but that doesn't mean I don't have pertinent skills." Dane replied. "It's been a while since I had students, but I think I can be a pretty good sensei."

"So, let's get this all loaded up." Levi said, picking up a couple of boxes. "We do still have a couple of hours before the holidays start after all."

"The sooner we load all this up the better." Sarah agreed. "I don't know, but…this place just doesn't seem the same without Mick."

"I know what you mean." Calvin answered. "Still, it'll be nice to be able to re-spray Nitro."

"CALVIN!" They others protested.

"What, too soon?" He asked. The others just shook their heads and left. "Oh, come on, I was trying to lighten the mood! It was a joke!...Guys? GUYS?"

Up on the Warrior Dome, repairs were already starting to be made to the ship. It was difficult going, the asteroid had caused immense damage, and they had to take great care when opening up new sections to make sure that they were safe before they went. The last thing anyone wanted after working so hard was for all of their work to be nothing when someone accidentally opened a door only to find the bulkheads had been breached and see everyone sucked out into space.

Sledge's skills and experience as a gaoler were incredibly helpful. They would occasionally find areas where people had miraculously survived. It didn't matter if they were already an 'intern', a senior staff member, one of the former warriors or even customers, anyone that was found was quickly pressed into service. It was a simple matter of survival. Everyone needed to work to rebuild the ship if they wanted to survive. There were obviously some complaints from those who had been there by choice before but Sledge was only too quick to stamp out any such protests.

Sledge was overseeing some workers when Odious came to him.

"I see work is progressing well." She stated.

"We're doing well with what we have." Sledge told her. "There's not much left in the way of working systems, but Wrench is good. It almost makes me wish he hadn't handed in his notice."

"Hmm…curious." Odious commented.

"What's curious?" He asked her.

"You openly and without reservation make use of prisoners and slaves." She remarked. "And yet when one of your most useful crew members left you, you did not simply go and reclaim him, but respected an employment contract."

"I am first and foremost a Bounty Hunter and businessman." Sledge stated flatly. "My reputation is only good for so long as my word can be trusted. When all is said and done, the only reason anyone gives me more contracts is because I keep my end of my bargain. I may have been angry that he left, but he did hand in his notice as was required by his contract."

"So, if I was to offer to give him to you, then you would refuse?" She asked him.

"A large part of me would like to accept." Sledge answered, powering up his blaster. "Though if you are willing to double-cross your own, that would only make me question what you plan to do with me."

"Sledgeums!" Poisandra called out in her shrill tone as she skipped towards him.

"What is it Poisandra my sweet?" He asked her.

"There's another ship approaching." She told him. Sledge's eyes started to burn intensely as he aimed his cannon at Odious.

"What is your game Odious?" He asked.

"I…I don't know…"

"You can't expect me to believe that for a moment!" Sledge roared. "Is this your game? Get me to do most of the work while your friends ambush us?"

"MY friends!" She demanded. "How do I know they're not YOUR friends!"

"Apart from the fact I can be trusted, I don't know anyone in this sector!" Sledge reminded her. "All my allies are gone! I was dead until yesterday! Who would I be able to summon!"

Madame Odious wasn't able to answer that, it was a very good point. However, the fact was she had no idea who was approaching either. She had allies, though she also had many more enemies, and with the ship as damaged as it was, they were effectively blind and defenceless. An alarm sounded.

"A teleport warning!" She rushed out. "Cosmo, block it!"

"I can't! The defences are down!" He squealed. "We have no way to stop them!"

"We have one way!" Sledge snarled. There was a flash of light in the hangar and a single figure appeared. He was blue and white, with angular features, and carrying a bow. Others ran from him as he appeared. Sledge confronted him, aiming his cannon at him.

"If you came looking for trouble, you've found it!" Sledge stated.

"Ah, Sledge I presume. Your reputation precedes you." The new arrival stated. "Take this as an act of good faith."

He slowly knelt down, placing his bow on the ground, before stepping away from it. Sledge just looked to him.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"I think the more important question is who are you, and the answer appears to be in need of help." He answered. "My name is Lord Draven. I have brought enough slaves, weapons, tools and parts for you to rebuild this ship far greater than it was before."

"I see." Madame Odious stated. "And what exactly would you be looking for in return?"

"I trade in favours." Draven told her. "Let's just say I have an…undertaking…I have been planning for some time. I will need your help eventually, not to mention his skills." He pointed to Sledge.

"Interesting." Odious stated. "Clearly you know I'm not in much of a position to refuse, so I wonder why you are being so generous."

"Your magic will be useful to me very soon." Draven told her. "In the meantime…"

The slaves all ran as crates of equipment and tools started to appear in the hangar. They were soon followed by people, clearly slaves as they were all in chains. One appeared next to him. He shoved her towards Odious.

"This is Badonna, one of my more academically minded acquisitions." He told her. "You now have everything you need to effect your repairs. Soon, I will contact you with this."

He tossed her a device.

"This is an inter-dimensional communicator." She commented. "Interesting. Who exactly are you?"

"Right now, I'm just a generous benefactor." He replied. "Eventually, I will be a partner. Until then, I wish you well with your repairs."

"What about me?" Sledge growled. "YOU may trade in favours, but I don't!"

"Yes, I thought that might be the case." Lord Draven replied, pulling out a large pile of cash and throwing it to him.

"This…this is…one million space bullion!" Sledge gasped. Poisandra just took it off him.

"ONE MILLION?" She squealed. "Ooh, this guy is like hitting the jackpot! I like you!"

"I also have a ship for you." Draven continued, showing Sledge a holographic projection. "It is as much as I could make it like your old one so that it would be familiar, but much of the technology that made yours is obsolete. I'm sure you'll find the upgrades a benefit though."

"What do I have to do for this?" Sledge asked him.

"Call it a retainer." Lord Draven told him. "I will have great use of your skills in some difficult acquisitions. There will be more where that came from, and believe me, you will earn every penny."

"Poisandra! Get Fury, we're leaving!" Sledge told her. He looked to Odious. "I have done what I promised here. I wish you luck in your vendetta."

With that, he left in search of his lieutenant, taking Draven and Poisandra with him. Odious just looked to Badonna.

"So, you are to be…what? My servant?"

"I am to be whatever you wish me to be." Badonna told her. "Lord Draven has ordered us to obey you as we would obey him."

"I am always suspicious of generosity. In my experience it always comes with a very high price tag." She replied, before looking to Badonna's shackles. She pulled out her hammer and said a small incantation at which they fell off. Badonna looked to her in confusion. "Consider this your first of many lessons."

"Mistress?" She asked.

"I have granted you an act of generosity." Odious reminded her. "Expect the price tag later!"

Back on Earth, the kids were counting down the moments until the end of the school day. They were all itching to get on with their holidays. Even the teachers had long since given up any pretence of trying to teach anything. What was the point in teaching the kids anything new that they were likely to forget in a couple of weeks anyway?

The Rangers were in Mrs Finch's class, though she wasn't even trying to hide the fact she was more interested in her text messages than the class. It was the last one before the holiday, so really no one cared what the kids did. That left the kids with plenty of time to discuss their plans.

"So, Levi and Tom are coming to help you fix up the farm?" Calvin asked. "Seems kind of like a busman's holiday if you ask me."

"It'll be hard work, but dad really wanted to connect with the family again." Brody told them. "He was really eager to meet Tom. He was happy to hear that Levi found people who took care of him, so he wanted to get to know Tom."

"Well, I do not have any plans whatsoever!" Calvin said proudly. "Just sleeping in, cartoons on the television, relaxing…"

"Studying for your exams next semester, preparing for the assessments." Hayley reminded him. "College applications!"

"Yeah…uh…those too." Calvin said somewhat unconvincingly. Preston just smiled.

"I guess this'll give me time to work on some new tricks." He told them. "I've been working so hard on my real magic that my stage stuff has been kind of neglected recently."

"I don't have any idea what I'll be doing." Sarah told them. "Normally we take a little break somewhere but with dad's business still being in the early days he really can't take time away from his clients."

There was a knock on the door and everyone looked around as Principal Hastings appeared in the doorway. Everyone looked to her as she came in.

"Oh, come on!" Victor complained. "It's only fifteen minutes until the end of term, you can't give us a hard time now!"

"Well, guilty consciences aside Victor, for once I'm not here for you." She told him. "Sarah, there's a…visitor here to see you."

"A visitor?" Sarah asked. "Um…who is it?"

"I…think you better come and see for yourself." Principal Hastings told her. "He asked for all of you."

Sarah and the others just looked to each other, before filing out of the room. The other kids started to follow her to see what was going on. By the time they got to the hallway, they found they were not the only ones. Kids were clamouring around, almost the entire student body. There were several men in suits gathered around, but one in the centre seemed to be the source of all the attention. He was signing some autographs and letting people take selfies with him. He saw Sarah and smiled.

"Sarah!" He called over.

"PHILLIPE!" She screamed, rushing over and grabbing him in a tight hug, completely ignoring any form of protocol. The whole Summer Cove student body could hardly believe what they were seeing. Then again how many people would believe a High School student who claimed to be on a first-name basis with the Hereditary Prince and Ambassador to Zandar? "Oh my God, it's been so long, how have you been?"

"Uh…is that who I think it is?" Calvin asked.

Hayley mumbled something completely incomprehensible. As an aspiring politician, she had many influences, but Prince Phillipe was one of her idols. Still only in his mid-twenties, he was an Ambassador for his nation to the United States. It was true that his position as the heir to the Principality of Zandar was influential in him holding that position, but he had already faced an uphill struggle for respect and had since made great strides to open up relations between the two nations.

"Guys, come on over!" Sarah beckoned them. "This is Phillipe! He's an old friend!"

"We…uh…kind of know who he is." Levi said as he arrived, shaking Phillipe's hand.

"As I do you Mr Weston. Your music sells very well in my little corner of the world." Phillipe told them. "Sarah, it is a delight to see you again."

"Yeah, it's great but what are you doing here?" She asked him.

"Well, I did say I would extend you an invitation to my wedding." He reminded her. Sarah just face-palmed.

"Oh my God, I've been so busy, I completely forgot!" She rushed out. "That's soon isn't it?"

"Yes, so I took a little trip to extend the invitation in person." He told her.

"You know, most people just e-mail or send an RSVP." She told him.

"Then again, most people don't have access to their own private jet, do they?" He asked. "It's an open invitation by the way. Your friends are perfectly welcome to come too if they like. I know we all had a shared experience."

Hayley let out a little squeal of joy and gripped Calvin's arm painfully tightly.

"Wait…private jet?" Preston asked. "Why would we need a jet? Amber Beach is only…"

"Preston isn't it?" Phillipe asked. "You don't really think the heir to the throne of Zandar can hold his wedding in the United States, do you? It's a state event of tremendous importance to my people and the future of my nation."

"You want us to go to Zandar?" Sarah asked him. He just nodded.

"Only if your parents don't mind of course." He answered. "I fully intend to let you go home to pack."

"Guys, remember when I said I didn't have plans for the holidays?" Sarah asked. "I think now we do!"

"Oh, this is going to be SO much better than cartoons on the couch!" Calvin agreed.

"Your Highness?" Brody asked. "Thank you for the invitation and everything, but Levi and I already have plans. It's kind of important…"

"Say no more. It was an invitation, not a summons." Phillipe told them. "Sarah has told me something of your situation and believe me, I understand how important family is. As for the rest of you…"

His guards opened the front doors, revealing the motorcade outside waiting for them. In the middle, was the limo bearing the coat of arms of the Royal Family of Zandar.

"My car is waiting!" Hayley, Calvin, Preston and Sarah all took one look at each other, before rushing for the limo. They had other issues to deal with. They needed to find and secure the Super Ninja Steel, and none of them believed for a moment they had seen the end of Psycho Green, but for now, they had a once in a lifetime invitation. How many people ever got invited to a Royal Wedding?

Fin.

 **A/N:** Well, there we go, a little bumper-length chapter to round out the story. A few loose ends to run into future storylines that will inevitably lead into new stories and a whole fun story starting very soon!

For those interested, I'm probably not going to be covering what happens in the Lion Galaxy. I know, it's full of ideas and storylines that would be wonderful to see but the fact is, if I do that, I most likely will never be able to get through Super Steel in a decent time-frame. Sorry, but I just don't have the time to dedicate to that. Though if anyone wants to take any of my concepts and come up with their own ideas, feel free to drop me a line. I'll be more than happy to hear what you have.

I hope you enjoyed the story, and I fully plan to bring you something a little fun over the holiday period. Thank you to all the regular readers and reviewers and stay tuned. There's plenty more drama to come!


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